Prisoners of the Heart
by KidatHeart5
Summary: The 9th installment of the RCF series. Based on "Beauty and the Beast". All of Equestria is in panic when two of its most powerful ponies get kidnapped! To save the ponies most dear to her heart, Twilight and her rescue party must venture into a dark place of evil – Tartarus. Meanwhile, there are troubles at home, such as a slave operation and conflicts that could bring war.
1. Prologue

_A long time ago, there was once a powerful sorcerer named Star Swirl the Bearded. He was gifted in the magical arts and crafted many spells. He enjoyed respect from his fellow pony, success in being a teacher at a prestigious academy, and luck whenever he used his magic to face a mighty foe. Since his reputation preceded him, it was not uncommon for him to have many admirers. Among them were Celestia and Luna, who Star Swirl took it upon himself to mentor after they survived a treacherous blizzard. Another such admirer was his own great-niece, Starlight Glimmer. As was expected, those who looked up to Star Swirl left their marks in history and/or impacted many lives. However, there was one admirer who changed the course of Equestria's history forever._

 _His name was Stygian, who hailed from an obscure little town. He was not talented in magic like Star Swirl was, but he revered the wizard for his wisdom and knowledge. Stygian felt that he had no place among his townsponies, so he packed his bags and set off for Canterlot, Star Swirl's home. When he arrived one winter's night, he tried to convince Star Swirl to take him on as an apprentice. But seeing Stygian's lack of powerful magic and want for a coveted position, Star Swirl believed that the unicorn was only seeking power and turned him away. Heartbroken and disillusioned, Stygian left Canterlot, never to return. Instead, he began his search for any magical relics that could make him powerful enough to be respected by both his fellow pony and Star Swirl. Little did he know that his quest would set off a chain of events that would have profound effects on Star Swirl, Equestria, and himself…_

So the rumors were true. There _was_ something unusual going on in Olden Hollow Shades, where many ponies once lived before its daughter town was established in a forest far from here. Stygian noticed that blood-red clouds hung over the village and the surrounding lands like a blanket of darkness. He had heard from other ponies that this strange and frankly ominous occurrence had started about a week or two ago. When Stygian considered possible causes for it, the only thing that came to mind was a solar eclipse that had happened around that same time. Word was that the unicorns' magic was so drained from raising and lowering the heavenly orbs, they lost control of them when the sun was supposed to be raised to usher in the dawn. Thankfully, he heard, Celestia and Luna saved the day and got their cutie marks in the process.

Many ponies were happy and excited that the alicorn sisters had gotten their cutie marks, but the news made Stygian envious of Luna and Celestia. After all, they had powerful magic and he didn't. They were Star Swirl's students and he wasn't. Well, maybe by discovering the cause of Hollow Shades' darkness and then eliminating it, he would get the recognition and respect he deserved. Then maybe Star Swirl would give him the chance he denied him when the unicorn first appeared on his doorstep.

Mustering every bit of courage he had in his body, Stygian slowly walked towards the bleak village. Fear gnawed away at him, but he did not let it deter him from his mission. All was quiet except for the soft clops of Stygian's hoofsteps. He looked from house to house, but all was bare and dark inside, devoid of any occupants. He wanted to call out to see if there was anyone still in Olden Hollow Shades, but it seemed to him that he was practically the only pony in the village at the moment. The lack of any life in the abandoned town made Stygian both lonely and scared at the same time.

When he got to the center of the village, Stygian's attention became focused on the pit with a border of stones surrounding it. His hooves touched the stone barrier and he leaned over it to see into the dark hole. What could it have been used for? It was much too large for it to be a water well and too deep for it to be a fire pit. So what was it?

Stygian called into the pit, "Hello? Is anyone there? Please, can you tell me –"

 _CRACK!_

Stygian's breath caught as he saw the ground surrounding the pit beginning to crack. He tried to escape, but a large crack appeared before him. Within a matter of moments, Stygian screamed as he fell down to who-knows-where. He soon met the ground in a hard manner, knocking the wind out of him. His body ached as he lifted his head and gasped. He could not believe it – he was in a secret chamber below the village! Questions bounced around in his head.

What was this place?

What was it built for?

Why was it beneath Hollow Shades?

Was it part of a building that was destroyed long ago?

 _Stygian…_

His ears perked at hearing his name whispered in the chamber. He looked all around for anyone who might've been there with him. To his surprise (and alarm), he found no one with him.

 _Stygian…_

There was the hiss again! It sounded closer than before! Oh, where was –

In his frantic search to find the voice, Stygian's gaze met the lifeless eyes of a high-relief carving of a grotesque figure. His heart jumped at seeing such a strange and frightening creature, as if the beast got frozen in stone while it was phasing through the wall that held it. Stygian rose up and slowly walked towards the carving. Part of him wanted to study it, but another wanted to stay away from such a fearful stone image. The unicorn's curiosity eventually got the better of him and he saw the intricate yet intimidating features of the carving. Suddenly, the stone creature's eyes became lit with white light! Stygian yelped and took a few steps back from the carving.

 _"_ _Stygian…"_ the statue seemed to hiss, _"…why are you so frightened of the dark?"_

The unicorn replied, "I'm not afraid of the dark!" He faltered as he added, "I'm more afraid of talking statues than I am of the dark."

The hissing voice chuckled, _"I am not the statue. I am the darkness talking_ through _the statue. I want to help you, Stygian."_

Did Stygian hear the voice correctly? Did it say it wanted to _help_ him?

"How could you help me?" he asked in a dubious tone.

 _"_ _I know your desires. They are many. I can feel that your most heartfelt one is – or_ was _– being Star Swirl's apprentice."_

Stygian lowered his head as anger and sorrow roiled in his chest. "Yes, but he turned me away."

 _"_ _And you know why that is? Because you're not powerful enough. In order to be worthy, you must possess magic of his caliber."_

Stygian shot off, "I do not wish to be his apprentice anymore!"

 _"_ _Oh?"_ the hissing voice asked in intrigue. _"Are you perhaps looking to be more powerful than Star Swirl, to make him pay for the hurt he caused you?"_

"What?"

 _"_ _Yesss…I can give you more power than you could ever dream of! I can even give you the acceptance and respect that you were denied for so long."_ When Stygian looked as if he was hesitant to accept the voice's offer, the statue spoke again, _"Come now, Stygian. Isn't it time everyone saw you as a powerful figure instead of a weakling stallion?"_

The words "weakling stallion" got to Stygian. He had been called that so many times during his life in the village where he once lived. He knew he could no longer be the pony he was. The voice was right – it was time to become someone more powerful than he was before.

The statue seemed to detect Stygian's change of attitude, for it told him, _"Yesss…Put your hoof on the statue, and you'll get what you desire…"_

With almost no hesitation, Stygian put his hoof on the statue's face. The white light in its eyes disappeared a few moments before Stygian's own eyes were enveloped in a layer of black. The black magic then streamed out of his eyes like tentacles before wrapping around his body like a cocoon. The black, gooey cocoon grew from where Stygian once stood and large tentacles sprouted from its center. As sharp, holey wings began to rise from the mass, a loud and animalistic howl resonated throughout the chamber. When a pony-shaped head began to take form amidst the mass, its howl became a tortured scream, perhaps because of the pain the transformation inflicted upon the unicorn.

When he finally gained mighty legs to stand with, he was Stygian no more. He was now the Pony of Shadows.

 _ **AN: Just a little heads-up: updates won't be as regular as I would like on account of my final semester. However, I do not want another incident like with "A World Above", so I will do my best to manage my time between schoolwork and this story.**_


	2. Heartbreak

_BOOM!_

The cannon shot out for the seventh and last time and its trademark blast sounded through the solemn air. After the lingering boom faded, there was only silence. All was quiet in Canterlot, not a single sound was made. The residents of the noble capital didn't need an announcement from the palace or printed words in a newspaper to tell them what they already knew: Sombra, their beloved former king, was dead.

Understandably, the news – no matter what form they took – devastated everyone who learned it. But none were more devastated than the members of the large Canterlot family themselves. Celestia, crippled by her deep grief, could do nothing but raise and lower the sun from the bed she didn't dare move from. This was the bed she once shared with her husband, the husband she had now lost twice. Although she tried her best to prepare for the dreaded moment, it stung just as hard as when Sombra became cursed, if not more so. Even though the duties of moving the sun were important, Celestia was always painfully reminded of the days that would pass without her dear Sombra.

Her ten daughters were affected the same way. For six of them, they had the same grief from when they thought they had lost him the first time, but this time, it was much deeper because they knew their father was truly gone. It was so deep that Twilight couldn't fully function as queen. Luna, though she too was reeling from Sombra's death, stepped in to help her niece perform her duties. The brothers-in-law, who thought of Sombra as their father figure, were also hurting from the loss and did their best to comfort their loved ones even though they felt like falling apart themselves. The same could be said for their children, the grandchildren of Celestia and the late Sombra. Cotton Candy's grief was so great that Cannon Fire allowed her to return to her kingdom to mourn the loss of her grandfather. It definitely wasn't easy telling the youngest generation about the death of their great-grandfather and how he wasn't coming back at all.

Of all the members of the Canterlot family, both biological and in-law, Capricia was the rock that gave everyone comfort and support during this difficult time. Capri was Discord's long-lost sister who had gotten separated from him a long time ago until she was freed from Gladmane's amulet five years back. Between the time she got separated from her brother to when she became trapped in the amulet, she created a magical cloud land called Paraddock. It was unlike any wonderland of legend, for it was like a chaotic haven for those who were in danger or harmed. After she was freed from Gladmane's necklace, she spent some time with her brother and his family before resuming her responsibilities as overseer of Paraddock. However, when she learned of Sombra's death, she left Paraddock in the hands of her friend Steven Magnet to console her family.

The Guardians of Equestria – Flurry Heart, Mischief, Roller Blade, Skater, Apple Butter, Blaze, and Nova Rose – continued to be strong for their country, but like the other members of the royal family, those who were related to Sombra were distraught. Since Flurry Heart wasn't as close to Sombra as her cousins were, she, her husband, Nova, and AB's husband Zealot provided solace for the others in the days after losing Sombra. When Nova had promised to stand by Blaze in good times as well as bad, she didn't think she had to live up to that vow so soon. Just before Sombra died, Blaze and Nova happily married in Canterlot and embarked on a weeklong honeymoon in Puerto Caballo. But despite their joyful wedded bliss, that happy time soon came crashing down a month later when they returned from a Cutie Map mission and found out Sombra was dying. Blaze was so badly broken he kept crying for hours; he was like this for a week. Nova, not wanting her new husband to wallow in his pain alone, comforted him and acted as his shoulder to cry on, both metaphorically and literally.

Though he was only newly integrated into pony culture, it pained Captain Blackthorn to see Skyla's parents so downtrodden from Sombra's death. Since Skyla was not as acquainted with Sombra as her parents were, she and her deer fiancé chose to be strong for them. Blackthorn then got the idea of spreading comfort to everyone affected in Equestria. With his beloved princess's blessing, he and his fellow comrades set out to rekindle even the smallest bit of joy for the citizens to feel again. They helped throw parties on the bereaved party princess's behalf because Pinkie couldn't find the strength to; they performed community service for those in need; they put on all kinds of happy shows – puppet shows, stand-up comedy, romantic plays, even short skits around a campfire. It was all to make the denizens laugh and smile again, even for a moment. In all honesty, none of the deer had ever thought they would be friends with ponies.

Back in the days when their forest kingdom of Thicket was still around, every deer was proud of their heritage. They considered themselves to be above the reckless behaviors of ponykind and strived to protect the natural world that was their home. They cared not for the affairs and struggles the other creatures were dealing with. They did not affect the deer in any way, so why would they bother? On the other hand, if the deer or the Everfree were affected, they would not hesitate to charge straight into battle. The only time they were prevented from doing so was on Gaea Everfree's wishes to grant the alicorn sisters sanctuary.

Blackthorn could remember when Celestia and Luna first built their castle in the Everfree Forest. He was a young fawn at the time and was recruited by the deer guard as a scout. His mission was to observe the alicorn sisters and the construction workers (who were cautious of their forest surroundings) as they built a giant structure on a clearing that was almost like an island amidst a large ravine that separated it from the rest of the forest. When the alicorn sisters first made their home there, the deer were certain that the crystal tree deep within the crevice would repel the ponies away from the Everfree. Surprisingly, it did not. It was as if the tree welcomed them, much to the deer's chagrin. Over time, though, the deer learned to ignore the ponies that eventually passed through their forest home. As long as they stayed away from the deer and did no harm to the nature surrounding them, the ponies would be of no concern to them.

As Blackthorn matured into a strong young stag, he moved up the ranks of the deer guard until he earned the distinguished title of Captain of the Guard. From that moment, he put his heart into his duty and swore undying loyalty to Thicket. He would do everything in his power to protect the forest kingdom and the Everfree from all who threatened it. He and his comrades took their responsibilities very seriously and performed the tasks the king had given them quite excellently. But no matter how rooted he was in the sacred ways of the deer, Blackthorn couldn't help but gaze at the alicorns' castle whenever he patrolled the part of the forest surrounding the ponies' home. He wondered what exactly the ponies would do on a day-to-day basis. Even though he was sure they did nothing that concerned the deer, he pondered on the possibility that maybe they had lives like his kind did. But before he could get lost in his thoughts, he would staunchly resume his patrol.

Every day, Blackthorn and his comrades would partake in the same routine, mundane yet exciting. However, no one could have imagined the sharp direction their lives would take. One fateful day, Blackthorn and his soldiers went out to scout for any Timberwolves that were too close to Thicket. Sure enough, when they found those Timberwolves, it practically took the guards the whole day to drive them back to their roaming grounds. As they trekked back to Thicket, they passed by familiar landmarks; when they got there, however, they could not see the lights of the tall and majestic trees or even the large gates of the city. Gaea Everfree then appeared before them, sadly reporting that the city had vanished into thin air. After the forest spirit granted them agelessness until Thicket returned, the deer guards saw no point in staying in the Everfree and decided to venture out to search for their friends in case they were taken.

The deer only traveled during the night so they would not be seen. They didn't travel far on their journey when they encountered trouble in a small pony village. A young mare no more than 16 was cornered by a band of hooded thieves who were after her valuables. Blackthorn could've stood by and done nothing. He could've taken his comrades and moved on. But that night, something changed in him. Too many times, Blackthorn and his deer guard had seen creatures that were too weak or small to defend themselves. Looking at the pony-in-distress, he realized she was no different than the animals they had saved on many occasions.

He had no choice. He had to fight.

He charged straight towards the bandits and fought them with great vigor. Though his comrades were greatly confused by his actions, some of them jumped in and helped their captain fend off the dastardly foes. Once the thieves were driven away, the mare grabbed her valuables and muttered her shy thanks to the deer. The soldiers who had stayed out of the affair chastised Blackthorn for helping a pony, but they remained with him as the group traveled forth. Gradually, they grew to help every pony and creature in need. However, their great deeds were all under the cover of darkness, hence earning them the moniker of "Angels of the Night". Needless to say, this drew the attention of a very manipulative king by the name of Gladmane.

At first, he wanted them because they were known throughout the country. He even cast a curse on them to do his bidding and thus prevent them from leaving Las Pegasus. However, when he formulated his plan to start a war and become the most powerful monarch in Equestria, he commanded the deer guard to masquerade as dark and mysterious soldiers and cause the children of various kingdoms to go missing. Luckily, Gladmane was thwarted and peace was restored to Equestria. Though it was the effort of many that stopped the cruel king's plans in their tracks, Blackthorn always attributed the deer's freedom to his princess Skyla, who took the time to listen and help him and his comrades. Now, with the former king of Canterlot gone, he understood why the loss affected so many: Sombra was a national hero.

Centuries before Sombra's rule, Arimaspi overthrew King Greystreak of Canterlot and took the throne for himself. This in turn led to many years of terror, sorrow, and darkness. Suffice to say, those years were not all under Arimaspi's iron fist. After Arimaspi was defeated by another monster, a cycle of war began. More often than not, monsters would invade Canterlot and challenge the ruler. These conflicts were always terrifying for the ponies regardless of who won. If a monster ruler was lucky, they would have a successor to continue their fearsome legacy. One of such monsters was Grogar, a goat powerful in the dark arts. Ironically, the choice to raise an heir would ultimately be his fatal mistake.

For his heir was Sombra.

A seemingly-orphaned unicorn colt, Sombra was chosen for his potential for dark magic. As such, Grogar tried to mold him into the kind of successor he desired, but failed in doing so. With his goodness nurtured by Star Swirl in secret, Sombra eventually grew into a wise and benevolent stallion and defeated Grogar, thus saving Canterlot and bringing an end to the Reign of Monsters. When the city was restored to its former glory, he reclaimed the throne of his father Greystreak only with the blessing of the grateful denizens. The story of Sombra's journey and triumph became legendary throughout the land and a holiday was established to honor the king's victory: the Summer Sun Celebration. Despite all the fame and praise he got for defeating the treacherous Grogar, Sombra always kept himself humble about his accomplishments and kind towards all ponies and creatures (those who meant well, anyway). With the void left by Sombra's passing, everyone knew that never again would a pony grace the land with his wholesome virtue, firm but fair sense of justice, fierce courage, and ever-loving heart.

* * *

The day of the royal funeral had now arrived after a week of national mourning. Yet, nobody was prepared to bid one last goodbye to the beloved former king, not even his grieving family. As everyone reluctantly got ready for the procession, the weather pegasi gathered gray clouds over Canterlot. Gray clouds also hung over every city, town, and kingdom in and near Equestria so their citizens could acknowledge the solemn occasion. Then, just an hour after dawn, the guests began pouring in through the castle gates. They were a mixed bunch comprising of royals, delegates, celebrities, military officers, members of various councils, mayors, and even a few family friends. Twilight – dressed in a simple black dress with her crown sitting atop her bunned hair – peered out her bedroom window and saw the scene from above.

At that moment, Flash Sentry came up to his wife and asked, "How are you holding up?"

She sighed sorrowfully, "I can't believe this is really happening. I thought that…" Tears then welled in her eyes. "…he would stay…just a little bit longer."

As Twilight fought the tears and the pain that accompanied them, Flash embraced her in a comforting hug. He told her, "I felt the same way when my parents were gone. I raged at the universe for taking them from me and I felt lost without them. I had to make it on my own before I found the flyer for joining the Royal Guard. At least you had your mother and aunt for comfort before your dad came back."

She sniffled, "You…you've dealt with grief before. Were you more prepared this time?"

He sighed, "Honestly, no. Losing Sombra stings just as badly as when I lost my parents. Grief doesn't get any easier with each death. It still hurts. You just have to deal with it every time it hits."

Suddenly, a page knocked on the door and spoke, "Your Highnesses, it's time."

Twilight wiped her eyes and cleared her throat, "Yes. We'd best be going."

As his wife walked out of the room with a strong composure, Flash worried about the way she was hiding her pain from the rest of the world. He wanted to help her grieve in a healthier manner, but he knew Twilight was one of the proudest and most stubborn mares in Equestria, so there was no way she'd allow herself to be vulnerable even now. There was nothing he could do but wait with the other guests at the basilica for the funeral.

* * *

While the husbands, children, grandchildren, and guests were at the basilica, Celestia and her ten daughters walked behind the funeral carriage bearing Sombra's coffin, which was draped with the Canterlot flag and had lilies and his crown on a purple pillow resting on top of it. As the carriage rolled through the street towards the city gates, the tenor bell rang every minute and saddened onlookers paid their respects to the late Sombra. Many couldn't hold back their tears, and neither could the princesses.

Fluttershy and Rarity wept silently and dabbed their eyes with handkerchiefs. While Sunset and the CMC sniffled with tears running down their faces, Pinkie sobbed piteously. Rainbow Dash tried to keep a straight face, but her lips quivered and tears continuously slid down her cheeks. Applejack had tilted her hat down so her eyes could not be seen. As for Twilight and Celestia, they kept strong for their subjects, though they could not hide the forlorn expressions on their faces.

When the family and carriage reached the city gates, they turned around and went down another street where more onlookers were gathered on the sidelines. After a while, they reached the basilica, with the family taking their seats alongside the sons-in-law and the unicorn guards approaching the carriage. Their combined magic then enveloped the casket and lifted it off the carriage before the guards placed it on the purple-clothed platform most carefully. As the guards went to stand on the side, Luna walked up onto the platform next to the coffin and stepped towards the podium. The weather pegasi then parted a small section of the clouds so a soft ray of sunshine could illuminate the coffin as per Sombra's wishes to bathe in his wife's radiant sun one last time.

Luna then spoke into the microphone, "The royal family of Canterlot thanks you for your attendance today. For those who were not able to be here, their kind thoughts and words shall be most appreciated. This has been a difficult time for us, all of us. Not just for Sombra's family, but also the many lives he touched during his time on Earth. He was a brave soul, for he took on one of the world's most treacherous monsters and thus ended a dark age for our beloved kingdom. He was kind and fair, for he gave to the poor, rewarded those who did a great service, and punished those who sought to harm others. He was a great leader, for he led his ponies out of darkness and restored what was once thought to be lost.

"In all honesty, there are few words that can accurately describe Sombra. He was a king, a hero, a husband, a brother-in-law, a father, an uncle, a grandfather, a great-grandfather, and so much more. If Celestia had the strength to speak today, she would've rambled on about how wonderful he was."

As the guests chuckled at her joke, Celestia blushed and gave a small smile, the first anyone had seen in so long. Or _would've_ seen, had her black veil not obscured her face.

"We now open the service with Countess Coloratura's rendition of _Mother Earth and Father Time_."

Coloratura – at the piano – began to play the music and sang, _"How very special are we…for just a moment to be…part of life's eternal rhyme…How very special are we…to have on our family tree…Mother Earth…and Father Time…He turns the seasons around...and so she changes her gown…but they always look in their prime…They go on dancing their dance…of everlasting romance…Mother Earth…and Father Time…_

 _"_ _The summer larks return to sing…oh, what a gift they give…Then autumn days grow short and cold…Oh, what a joy to live…How very special are we…for just a moment to be…part of life's eternal rhyme…How very special are we…to have on our family tree…Mother Earth…and Father Time…"_

After Coloratura finished her song, the service commenced. A few members of the family and some family friends stood before the crowd to share their remembrances of Sombra. One of them was a unicorn who was part of Gusty the Great's brigade. After encountering Sombra at one point of his journey, Gusty and her comrades were crucial in helping him send Grogar to Tartarus. All through the service, fond memories were shared, solemn yet celebratory music was played, and a heartfelt eulogy that praised Sombra endlessly was given. After the reflection, the guests rose from their seats and the casket was again placed onto the carriage. The ray of sunshine disappeared and the carriage resumed its journey.

The family and many guests trailed behind the carriage as it made its way down the last street it would travel on. For the last time, the tearful onlookers paid their respects to the deceased as the coffin rolled by. The carriage finally stopped near the mountainside, where a curtain of vines hid the secret passage to the King's Crypt. The many secrets of the crypt – including how to enter the hidden door – were known only to the royal family and the royal morticians. No one else could enter the crypt except on the sole condition that the royals give their blessing and share the secrets of the tomb.

Once the followers came to a stop with the carriage, the unicorn guards lifted the casket from the carriage and carefully set it onto the wheeled cot just outside the curtain of vines. Luna once again spoke to the crowd and imparted the closing words of the service. When the time came to bury Sombra alongside his father, everyone lingered their gaze on his coffin for as long as possible. The royal morticians solemnly put their hooves on the cot and slowly wheeled it into the green curtain. A minute passed…then two.

Finally, the morticians emerged from the curtain and one of them said, "Sombra rests in peace now."

 ** _AN: This chapter took me a good while to complete. With school starting up again, I am as usual tied down with my schedule and assignments. Another factor is that I had to do research with funerals, including Princess Diana's. I do have some good news, though: I have plotted out the entire story, so it's just a matter of writing it out._**

 ** _The song featured here is "Mother Earth and Father Time" from_** **Charlotte's Web (1973).** ** _Here is the link: watch?v=6ipVHyKnx6Y  
_**

 ** _Just a little clarification: the basilica is the same place where the Friendship Festival was held._**


	3. Legacy

**_AN: The song I tweaked to a great extent is "The Bells of Notre Dame" from the 2014 musical_** **The Hunchback of Notre Dame,** ** _not the film._**

 ** _I had wanted to release Apple Bloom and Grand Pear's story_** **The Lost Duchess of Vanhoover** ** _before_** **Prisoners of the Heart** ** _. Although I was ultimately unable to, I do promise that I'll release the story sometime this year. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep said promise now…_**

The funeral was over, and everyone who was exhausted from the emotional weight of the service made their way back to the castle for a soothing repast in the ballroom. Calla lilies were tied to the pillars and open curtains, which were now black to acknowledge the occasion. Soft candlelight filled the room with a warm and comfortable atmosphere that alleviated even the heaviest hearts. No matter how sad the day was, Sombra's final wishes called for light to bring even a bit of warmth to those who were grieving. When the family and guests arrived in the ballroom, the visitors lined up to give their condolences to Celestia and her daughters. After the exchange of condolences, the royal family and their guests mingled around the ballroom and talked with one another.

At the CMC's table, an elderly stallion named Grand Pear sat with them. Grand Pear was the duke of Vanhoover, soon to pass his title down to his nephew. His daughter, Pear Butter, was disowned of her birthright a long time ago when she chose a rival apple farmer for her love. Not long afterwards, both Pear Butter and Bright Mac died as a result of a suitor's curse upon them. However, their daughter Apple Bloom survived and lived a happy life before finally meeting her grandfather a few years ago. Although he respected Sombra and was saddened by the loss, it wasn't the only reason Grand Pear came to Canterlot.

Apple Bloom fretted, "I know I shouldn't think about it so soon after Dad died, but…" The tears welling up in her eyes prevented her from speaking further.

Grand Pear touched his granddaughter's hoof in consolation, "I know, darlin'. You're afraid of losing me right after your pa."

Apple Bloom sniffled as she nodded her head.

The duke then wrapped his arms around her, "Ah, don't you worry now. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'm sticking around for as long as you need me."

She gave a sad chuckle, "I'll always need you, Grand Pear-Pear."

Meanwhile, at another table, the seven sisters were conversing amongst themselves and remembering fond memories of their father.

Rainbow Dash excitedly said, "…then the ball went _flying_ out of bounds, and before it could hit the little kid behind us, Dad lifted me up and told me, 'Catch it, Dashie!' And I did! I caught the ball!"

The sisters uttered sounds of amazement before sighing in sadness. Before long, a pale, light grayish gamboge stallion with wrinkles and a graying green mane in a ponytail came up to the table.

He asked in a concerned manner, "Hey, girls. How are you all holding up?"

Twilight answered with a small smile, "We're fine, Regent Canter Zoom, thank you."

Applejack added, "If ya call 'neck-up in grief' fine."

Canter Zoom apologized, "Oh, sorry if I intruded on anything, Your Graces."

Fluttershy, who had tiny bags under her eyes, assured him, "Oh, no, it's all right. You can sit here with us."

The regent then pulled up a chair as he said, "Thank you for your generous invitation." When he sat down, he told the mares, "You know, your dad was a great guy, one of the best."

Rarity waved her hoof in flattery, "Oh, now."

"I'm not just saying that. Your dad was a hero! It's going to be hard to live up to his kind of image. You girls were lucky to have him as your dad."

Sunset chuckled, "We sure were."

Canter Zoom took a deep breath and said, "And that's why I want to ask you all and your mother for a royal blessing."

Pinkie asked in excitement, "Ooh! Is it a surprise? Is it? Is it?"

Zoom leaned towards the mares, put his hoof near his mouth, and whispered, "The surprise is –"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a stallion's voice proclaiming, "Fillies and gentlecolts!"

The sisters and Zoom turned their heads towards the stage where a tall stallion dressed as Star Swirl stood before the crowd.

"Thank you for coming here on this solemn day. We know the loss is hard for all of us, but we of The King's Colts want to brighten the occasion with a memory of the past. That is why we wish to commemorate Sombra's life by performing a short version of the play _The King of Canterlot_. For almost every Summer Sun Celebration since its inception, this play has enchanted thousands with its tales of heroism, daring, and hope. May Sombra always be remembered as the hero of our fair kingdom and our hearts. Fillies and gentlecolts, we give you _The King of Canterlot_."

The crowd clapped as the lights dimmed and the actor left the stage. Soft music started to play as the curtains parted to reveal the actors dressed as the citizens and the painted background of the buildings and palace.

One chorus member sang, _"Morning in summer…The city awakes…to the bells of Canterlot…"_

Another chorus member holding a fake bouquet of larkspur flowers sang, _"The air fills with larkspur…"_

The first chorus member sang as he gestured towards an actor holding a loaf of bread on a wooden paddle, _"The baker-man bakes…"_

All three sang together, _"To the bells of Canterlot…"_

An actor dressed as a guard sang, _"To the big bells as loud as the thunder…"_

Three unicorns then sang, _"To the little bells soft as a psalm…"_

A unicorn dressed as Gusty the Great sang, _"And some say the soul of the city's the toll of…"_

The chorus then joined her, _"The bells…The bells of Canterlot…"_ They then walked stage left as a transparent black shroud covered the set. The stagelights dimmed a little to convey the grim mood. The chorus continued to sing from offstage, _"Long years ago did this story begin in the dark age of Canterlot…"_

Two of the male chorus members sang as the actors for Sombra and Grogar entered from stage right, _"An orphaned unicorn was taken in by the king of Canterlot…"_

The actor dressed as the vile goat sang, _"Grogar, who cared just for his legacy…"_

The actor portraying the late king sang, _"Young Sombra, full of beauty and charm…"_

The two of them sang together, _"And he lived and he grew and awoke to the music of bells…"_

The chorus and actors then sang, _"The bells of Canterlot…"_

The unseen chorus alone sang, _"Bring back our lost light…"_

'Grogar' then sang, _"Oh, dear Sombra, 'neath these arches and these regal domes…"_

 _"_ _Bring back our lost light…"_

 _"_ _You are blessed to find your sanctuary…and your home…"_

Two of the male chorus members sang, _"Righteous Prince Sombra was ever more drawn to doing good for Canterlot…"_

'Grogar' sang, _"Not like the black-hearted ruler Grogar who'd have none of Canterlot…"_

The Star Swirl actor then came onstage and sang, _"Though he was taught by Star Swirl in secret…"_

'Sombra' sang in worry, _"Sombra grew more despaired and alarmed…"_ As his horn, teeth, and mane were magically transfigured by somepony backstage, he continued, "… _as his magic grew more wild and became more defiled by Grogar…"_

The chorus then sang, _"The king of Canterlot…Bring back our lost light…"_

After 'Grogar' exited stage left, 'Star Swirl' sang to 'Sombra', _"You must leave, Sombra…This evil castle where you've dwelled…"_

 _"_ _Bring back our lost light…"_

'Sombra' gasped, _"Leave? But I can't."_

'Star Swirl' pleaded, _"Sombra, please, it's your one chance…to have the darkness expelled…"_

'Sombra' spoke to the audience as he exited stage right and the curtains closed, "And Sombra heeded Star Swirl's wise words, and off he went."

The voices of the chorus chimed, _"Meanwhile…"_

When the curtains opened again, the background had changed to an open plain with a river nearby and mountains that were far away. One chorus member sang as 'Sombra' ran in from stage right. _"Sombra proved to be uncommonly fast for the guards of –"_

The chorus joined him as the background started rolling to coincide with the lead actor's running in place, _"Canterlot…"_

The chorus member continued singing as 'Sombra' came upon 'Gusty' before she exited stage right, _"And befriended a pony he almost passed on the run from –"_

 _"_ _Canterlot…"_

Another chorus member sang, _"And then one fateful day he saw something…"_

'Sombra' sang in a hopeful tone, _"A mountain that was surely…Fettna!"_

A female chorus member then sang, _"And with hope on his face…the prince stole to the place of legend…"_

The rest of the chorus soon followed her, _"A new hope for Sombra…"_

The curtains temporarily closed and opened again to the background of a tree in a dark cave. This painted tree was dotted with golden orbs that resembled the famous Golden Apples of the Hesponides.

'Sombra' said breathlessly in joy, "At last! I have finally found the golden apples!" He was about to touch the painted tree when he hesitated, "But should I?" He then sang in conflict, _"I have come here finally_ … _in my quest for a remedy…Now my hope rests in this very…small and humble tree…But is it a selfless goal? Helping the kingdom or my soul?_ _What of the others living in this sanctuary?"_

The actor then turned from the tree and shook his head, "No. I shouldn't take anything from the Hesponides. I'll just have to find another way."

Just then, a female Pegasus dressed as a Hesponid flew down from the stage rafters and hovered over the Sombra actor. "Congratulations! You've resisted the temptation of stealing for yourself. Because you acted so nobly, take this gift." She then pulled out an apple completely coated in gold fondant icing.

'Sombra' looked in amazement at the apple, "A golden apple?" He then shook his head, "Oh, but I couldn't."

"You've earned it. The Hesponides saw the good in your heart when you refused to take anything from the tree. By thinking about us and your kingdom, you have proven that you are more than worthy of having your most heartfelt wish granted."

"But what if my wish to be restored to my original self won't help the others?"

"Well, I think you're more good to them pure than you are defiled."

'Sombra' then nodded and took a bite from the apple. As a light glow surrounded him, the curtains closed on the scene.

A pony narrated from offstage, "And so Sombra was restored to the unicorn he was before Grogar's influence corrupted his magic." When the curtains parted again, a cloaked pony walked onstage from stage left. The narrator continued, "He then returned to Canterlot, now more resolute than ever…" 'Sombra' lifted his hood, revealing his normal appearance. "…to overthrow Grogar once and for all."

'Sombra' shouted in a determined voice, "Grogar! Your time as dictator is over! Surrender now!"

The Grogar actor appeared from stage right and shouted, "Never!"

The two actors then 'dueled' each other as the chorus sang, " _This is the day, this is the day…This is the day, this is the day…the darkness falls and makes way for…"_

As the chorus vocalized, 'Gusty the Great' and her crew charged onstage and surrounded 'Grogar' with their magic.

'Gusty' shouted, "Don't let him escape!"

As the Grogar actor started sinking down the stage via a hidden platform, he cried, "NOOOOOOOO!"

The chorus then sang, " _Our lost light returns…"_

As the black drapes lifted from the Canterlot background, the Gusty actress and her group sang, " _And the light of Grogar's defeat_ _sent the clouds fleeing…"_

 _"_ _Our lost light returns…"_

As the chorus members and 'Star Swirl' walked onstage, the 'unicorn warriors' continued, _"And the ponies' gaze fell on the face of their new king…"_

'Sombra' spoke to the crowd, "My ponies, today the threat of monsters is gone. No longer will we be ruled by vile creatures like Grogar. We shall rebuild what has been lost before and restore Canterlot to its former glory." After the crowd cheered, he then sang, " _See this broken kingdom_ _where its subjects would once weep_ … _I'll protect and care for you_ _and fill you with great glee_ … _For now we're free…"_

As the Sombra actor kneeled, 'Gusty' spoke, "And so he was rewarded greatly for his brave actions. The crown was given to the kingdom's most cherished hero…"

The Star Swirl actor then placed a golden crown upon 'Sombra's' head and proclaimed, "King Sombra!"

The Grogar actor – with his goat costume now gone – appeared from stage right and sang, " _Now here is a riddle to guess if you can…Sing the bells of Canterlot…"_

'Sombra' then sang, _"What makes a monster and what makes a colt?"_

The male actors then joined him, _"What makes a monster and what makes a colt?"_

The mares followed, _"What makes a monster and what makes a colt?"_

They all sang together, " _Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells…Bells of Canterlot!"_

After the curtains closed, thunderous applause resonated throughout the ballroom. Some of the audience had tears in their eyes for various reasons.

Canter Zoom then pointed to the stage, " _That._ That's what I want to do."

Fluttershy asked in a voice softer than usual, "A play?"

"Something like that. I want to produce a movie about your father's life!"

The sisters gasped in delight.

Rarity smiled, "Oh, Your Grace! We'd be so honored!"

Zoom asked in growing hope, "So that means I have your blessing?"

Twilight answered, "We'll have to consult Mother as well, but the seven of us agree. Canter Zoom, you have our blessing to create your film about our father."

The regent hoof-pumped, "Yes! Oh, and while we're on the subject of your dad's film, why don't you come to Applewood for the preliminary story meeting? We want to get every detail about your father's life right."

Rainbow Dash chimed, "I'm in!"

Applejack nodded, "Me, too!"

Pinkie Pie singsonged, "Count me in!"

Twilight spoke, "Then it's settled. As soon as we tell the whole family, we'll leave for Applewood."

Zoom chuckled, "Ha-ha! Great!"

* * *

When the sisters told their whole family about Canter Zoom's proposal, Celestia of course gave her blessing. They then came up with a plan: the sisters would travel to Applewood with their husbands while Celestia would temporarily reassume the duties of being queen. "Just for old times' sake" was her reason. Skyla, Blackthorn, and Capricia would accompany the seven sisters and brothers-in-law to Applewood. Skyla wanted to show Blackthorn how films were made; Capri wanted to see it. Unfortunately, the Marendelle family members had to go back to the island kingdom soon. As a gesture of goodwill, Canter Zoom gave them the film reel of the upcoming Daring Do movie that he had originally brought for the entire Canterlot family to ease their grief even a little. Everyone packed their bags so they could leave for their destinations the next morning.

When the morning came, everyone but the Applewood group took to the road. Just after Skyla's parents and the Marendelle royal family left the palace, Discord frantically summoned the doctor. Fluttershy had woken up nauseous and she vomited in the bathroom for an hour straight. As the doctor examined Fluttershy behind the closed bedroom door, the sisters and in-laws sat in worried silence. Discord, on the other hand, paced the floor and shook endlessly from anxiety.

Capri was the first to speak up, "I want to tease you right here and now, but truth be told, I've never seen you like this before. Frankly, it's scaring me."

Discord retorted, "Well, how do you think _I_ feel?! We just lost Sombra, for heaven's sake! What if we lose Fluttershy, too?"

The sisters shuddered in fear of the thought.

Spike said, "Sombra died of a weak heart, not the flu."

Timber Spruce pointed out, "Well, technically, you can die from the flu."

The sisters cried out in an anguished yelp. Soarin immediately whacked the back of Timber's head in irritation.

Timber cried out, "Ow! What?"

Just then, the door opened to reveal the doctor. Everyone braced for whatever news the doctor had to give.

"She'll be fine, though she requests to speak with her husband alone."

Greatly confused and worried, Discord entered the room and closed the door behind him. Seeing her pale figure lying in bed didn't help ease his concerns.

"What is it, Fluttershy? What did the doctor say?"

"You better sit down, honey."

Discord complied and sat on the edge of the bed. He then looked at her with dread and said, "Go on."

"I'm…pregnant."


	4. Against the Odds

After a brief fainting spell, Discord regained all but one of his senses: the ability to make sense of the situation. He only said in shock, "How? How can you be pregnant? You're almost 60 years old! You shouldn't be pregnant!"

Fluttershy explained to the best of her ability, "Well, the doctor suggested that I'm as young as I was in my prime."

Discord scoffed, "Well, of course he said that! You're still as beautiful as ever!"

"No. What I mean is that I could still physically be in my prime."

Her husband stroked his chin in contemplation, "But is that possible?" His eyes then flew open with realization, "Unless…"

She nodded, "I think I inherited something from Mother that's caused me to age slowly."

"And your sisters?"

"They could have it, too. I think we should get tested just to be sure."

"I'm on it!"

He then flashed into a scientist's lab coat and goggles and conjured up a few machines. When he had scissors in his paw, he asked politely, "Care for a snip, milady?"

She smiled, "Not at all."

He cut only a stray strand of hair that didn't complement the smooth texture of her fine pink mane. However, he obtained her sisters' hair samples by putting his hand through a small portal and simply plucked strands from their manes. Outside, the sisters cried out:

"Ow!"

"Ow!"

"Ooh!"

"Ouch!"

"Hey!"

"Ow!"

After the paw with the portal disappeared over their heads, they rubbed their heads as Applejack asked, "Did y'all feel that?"

Inside the bedroom, Discord placed the strands inside a Petri dish and then put the dish inside a machine. After the device shook and groaned for a few seconds, the results came out as one long scroll of paper. Discord looked over the paper before he suddenly exclaimed, "Aha! I've found what we're looking for!"

Fluttershy asked, "What does it say?"

Discord shrugged and merely let the paper slip from his hands. "I can't make sense of it."

Just then, the sisters and husbands opened the door. Sunset demanded, "What is going on in here?"

Fluttershy explained, "Oh, Discord was just conducting a test to see whether or not we have slow-aging genes like our mother."

Twilight took the scroll of paper on the floor and read it. Her eyes flew wide open and she exclaimed, "We do!"

The sisters and their husbands gasped before Pinkie realized, "Ohhh! _That's_ why we don't have gray hairs yet!"

Rarity touched her mane lightly as she said, "And all this time, I thought it was my mousse."

Applejack furrowed her brow, "Wait. Was that the reason you pulled out our hairs? For a test?"

Twilight asked, "But why would you test for longevity genes?"

Fluttershy and Discord looked at each other. The mare said, "You can tell them this time."

Rainbow Dash raised her brow, "'This time'?"

Discord smiled broadly, "The good news is Fluttershy is not sick with anything serious. The really great news is she has a little bun in the oven!"

Everyone gasped at the moment.

Pinkie jumped up and down while throwing confetti and cheering, "YAAYYY! Fluttershy's having a baby! Fluttershy's having a baby! Fluttershy's having a baby! Woo-hoo!"

With a hint of a smug smirk in his mouth, Discord said, "Yes, isn't it thrilling that I get to live happily ever, ever, _ever_ after with my special somepony?"

Spike chimed, "Hey, you're not the only one. I can live just as long as Applejack. A-"

He stopped in mid-sentence when he realized what it meant for his other brothers-in-law. Catching on to what he was thinking, the sisters immediately looked at their beloveds in worry.

* * *

It was late at night when the Marendelle family returned home. If they had left Canterlot no later than noon, it would've taken them till the next morning to reach the island kingdom. As everyone settled back in their rooms, Button Mash and Sweetie Belle threw themselves onto their bed.

The king sighed in exhaustion, "Finally! We're back home!"

His wife agreed, "It's been a really long week for us all."

He then wrapped his arm around her, "Yeah, but now we have a chance to catch up on some good long rest."

Suddenly, they heard frantic knocking at the door.

Sweetie Belle remarked, "So much for good long rest."

Button groaned softly before calling to the pony outside the door, "Enter!"

The door burst open as a page excitedly announced, "Your Majesty! We have received word that a navy ship is in pursuit of a slave ship!"

The king's face then broke out into an ecstatic smile, "Finally! That's great news! It's been almost ten years since I made that report about the slavers!"

Queen Sweetie Belle commented, "I sure hope they catch them."

Her husband agreed, "Hopefully, this will be the end of slavery in Equestria."

She nodded.

* * *

The navy ship blasted a warning shot at the slave ship _Tiger Shark_ as they gave chase.

On the slave ship, a crewmember told the captain, "Sir, an Equestrian Navy ship is coming up behind us! And a hurricane is in front of us! What do we do?!"

The captain commanded, "We head straight for the hurricane!"

"What?! But sir-"

"I will not let my _Tiger Shark_ get taken! The elusive Captain Flog gets captured by no one!"

The pony sighed and saluted, "Aye-aye, captain." He then belted out the orders to the rest of the crew.

Below deck, six adolescents were chained together in the brig. They were each a different creature: an earth pony, a yak, a changeling, a hippogriff, a dragon, and a griffon. They could hear the shouts from above.

The changeling asked, "What are they saying?"

"Yak not know."

The griffon tried to get closer to the sound while telling the others, "Quiet! I'm trying to listen!"

They did stay quiet as the griffon lifted his head to hear better. Then he told them, "It sounds like they're about to head into a storm."

The colt voiced, "Why would they do that?"

"You got me, Kelp Head. Whatever our masters do, they do, and we don't have any choice but to follow." said the dragon.

The griffon challenged, "Don't tell me they got to you too, Smoky!"

She replied, "I call it like it is, Chicken Face, especially with your failed escape plans."

" _Our_ escape plans! Some of them were yours too, you know!"

They got into each other's faces before the hippogriff got between them and pulled them apart. She shouted, "Stop it! This is no time to fight!"

Kelp Head added, "Bird Horse is right. If a storm is on its way, maybe this will be our one chance to escape!"

Chicken Face thought about it and then snapped his talon. "I got it! Huddle!"

The Young Six huddled together and came up with a plan. Meanwhile, the navy ship pursued Flog's ship until the slave ship entered the curtain of torrential rain.

The navy captain ordered, "Halt! Halt!"

As the ship came to a stop, one crewmember cursed, "Blast it! They got away."

"They're only going to get away _if_ they survive the storm's fury." He then put his hat to his chest and lamented, "Faust help the unfortunates in their grasp."

Meanwhile, the _Tiger Shark_ began rocking and teetering with the wild waves. The strong winds of the hurricane threatened to keel over the ship so it would drown in the choppy waters. No pony could stay still on the ship of misery, not even the Young Six, though they tried to stay level with the ship's changing tosses and turns.

Yak groaned, "Ohh…Yak think yak gonna be sick." Her cheeks puffed out as she tried to hold in her nausea.

The ship's guard was faring no better as he slipped and slid up and down the brig. When the opportunity arose, Chicken Face softly said, "Here's our chance! Now!"

Just as the guard slid near their cell, the Young Six coordinated their slide so Chicken Face and Bird Horse could be right next to the cell's bars. When the guard landed on his flank and hit against the bars, Chicken Face wrapped his arms across the stallion's chest and shoulders.

"Gotcha!" the griffon cried.

Bird Horse then said, "And for good measure…." She did the honor of knocking the guard unconscious.

The slaves cheered before they returned to their plan. Bird Horse quickly unfastened the ring of keys from the guard's belt, but a sudden jolt throughout the ship caused them to fall out of her grip.

Bird Horse panicked, "No, the keys!"

Luckily, Smoky managed to catch them in time. "Got it!" She quickly found the lock and tried a number of keys until the cell door opened.

As the Young Six happily exited their cell, the changeling cheered, "We're free!"

One of the slaves still trapped in another cell corrected, "Not yet, you're not!"

Kelp Head then took the keys from his friend and offered, "Here! Let us help you outta there!"

Another slave shouted, "There's no time! Get outta here while you still can!"

A third slave agreed, "Yes! This is your chance at freedom! There might never be another one like this!"

A fourth one pleaded, "If you find help, tell them where we are."

As the Young Six took the slaves' advice and ran up the brig as fast as they could in unfavorable conditions, the imprisoned slaves cheered them on and tried to hurry them along. On deck, a crewmember heard the commotion below.

"Sir! The slaves are making a ruckus in the brig!"

Flog ordered, "Well, tell them to shut up!"

Just as the Young Six neared the stairs to the deck, Bird Horse squealed in delight, "This is it! Freedom at last!"

Suddenly, a stallion leaned down the exit and smiled wickedly, "You're not going anywhere."

Just when all hope seemed lost once again, the ship collided with a giant wave, thus causing the vessel to jerk. The sudden movement caused the stallion to lose his footing and fall down the stairs.

As soon as the Young Six were certain he was out cold, Chicken Face said, "Smoky, grab Kelp Head! Bug Eyes, Bird Horse, grab Yak!"

He slowly flew up the stairs as the others followed. Right behind Chicken Face, the changeling and hippogriff carried the young yak with all their might. Behind them, Smoky carried Kelp Head in her arms. They finally reached the opening and surfaced onto the deck and the stormy elements.

Captain Flog sputtered in surprise before his face contorted into anger and he commanded, "Get them!"

Given the hurricane and the slippery deck, the crew's attempts to apprehend the Young Six were quite clumsy. Whenever a slaver managed to grab one of the kids, another of the Young Six would rescue their friend. The children didn't fare much better, either. Whenever they tried to get to a lifeboat, they would either slide away from it or be thwarted by a crewmember or two. There was no success from either side. Everyone kept sliding and swerving in every direction.

After a while of chaos on the high seas, Flog growled, "Enough!"

He forcefully jammed a rod into the steering wheel to keep the ship steady and he swung down on a rope towards the deck. He grabbed a branding iron from one of the barrels and used it to knock the Young Six off their feet. The kids then slid towards the railing and one of the lifeboats.

When the cruel captain landed on deck ever so smoothly, he walked towards them and chuckled wickedly, "Well, if it isn't our little rebel creatures, trying to escape once again. Going for that lifeboat, aren't ya? Well…" He then pulled out a knife from his belt. "…I'm going to make sure you lose all hope of ever getting away." With that, he cut one of the lifeboat's ropes with one swipe.

Before he could cut the other rope, one of his stallions shouted, "CAPTAIN! TIDAL WAVE OFF THE PORT BOW!"

Flog's eyes shrunk at the size of the mammoth wave. "Oh, horseapples. Take cover!"

The crew and Young Six braced themselves for when the wave would hit. The wall of water came down upon the deck in one fell swoop. Luckily, the ship had not capsized when the wave hit. When Flog regained his senses, he looked to see that the Young Six had vanished, and with them, the lifeboat.

A crewmember then asked the captain, "Captain, the slaves! Should we search for them?"

Instead of raging at the drenched stallion, Flog calmly answered, "No. Leave them to drown. The storm will take care of them. They've caused me trouble one too many times. But _if_ they survive the hurricane, they'll be begging us to take them back." He then chuckled evilly.

As the ship pressed on through the perilous waves, one lone lifeboat tossed endlessly in the choppy waters. Just then, Chicken Face and Smoky surfaced from the stormy depths of the ocean and gasped for air.

The blue griffon coughed, "There's the lifeboat!"

Smoky then asked, "But where are the others?"

Suddenly, Chicken Face yelped as he was dragged down into the water. Smoky took a deep breath and dove into the ocean once more. She looked down to see her friends sinking towards the bottom by Yak's heaviness. Chicken Face swam towards Bird Horse and helped her pull on the chain linking her to Yak. Smoky did the same thing and helped Kelp Head and Bug Eyes pull on the changeling's chain to Yak. The five of them then swam upwards as they held tight to the chains holding the unconscious yak.

First, Smoky surfaced and grabbed the side of the unsteady lifeboat. She gasped for air and helped her friends reach the stormy surface of the water. As Chicken Face and Bird Horse emerged from underwater, the dragon, pony, and changeling climbed onto the lifeboat. When the griffon and hippogriff joined the others, they worked together to bring Yak onto the boat. With a few of them on one side of the boat to balance out the weight of the pull, the others gave it their all to drag Yak out from underneath the water.

Smoky grunted, "Pull!"

When Yak was finally out of the water, Kelp Head cried, "We got her!"

The lifeboat tilted a bit as they brought Yak onboard, but it soon evened itself out.

Yak coughed out the water in her lungs violently before she opened her eyes. When she came to, she groaned, "What happened?"

Bird Horse smiled excitedly, "We got away! We actually got away!"

Chicken Face pointed out, "Let's not celebrate just yet."

Bug Eyes nodded, "He's right. We're in a hurricane, and we could drown out here if we don't find land soon."

Kelp Head said, "Then let's hurry."

* * *

About an hour later, Button Mash and Sweetie Belle were in the throne room awaiting the arrival of the navy captain.

Button Mash prayed softly, "Please let the navy be successful. Please let the navy be successful."

Just then, a page entered and announced, "Captain Old Salt requests an audience with you."

Sweetie Belle answered, "You may let him in."

After the page left, the elderly navy captain entered the throne room. Seeing no smile on Old Salt's face, the rulers feared for the worst.

Button Mash asked, "I take it the pursuit didn't go too well?"

The captain shook his head, "I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. The _Tiger Shark_ went into a hurricane before we had the chance to catch the dirty scoundrels. Forgive me, my king."

Sweetie Belle stated, "You are forgiven. You did your best."

Button Mash then said, "You're dismissed." When Old Salt left the throne room, Button Mash grunted as he slammed his hoof into the arm of his throne in frustration, "Argh! We were so close! Why do pirates always have to be so dang slippery?!"

His wife put her hoof on his and comforted him, "We will catch all of them. Even if it takes a millennium, we will catch them."

He then sighed and put his head on his hoof, "I just feel bad for the slaves who have to suffer under their grip. I want so badly to help them all escape and live better lives."

She nodded, "I know, sweetheart. But we must have faith that one day, we'll finally have a chance to end their terrible slave trade for good."

No sooner had Sweetie Belle said those words than a bat pony sentry rushed into the throne room. "Your Highnesses! We caught sight of something on the sandbar southeast of here!"

As a joke, Button Mash muttered to his queen, "Try saying that five times fast."

The sentry continued, "The party we sent out to investigate has come back with news of six unconscious children in chains!"

The rulers gasped, half in shock and half in excitement.

Button Mash looked at Sweetie with wide eyes, "You don't think they're…?"

She finished, "Slave children who escaped the storm?"

Button Mash ordered, "Send out a large boat to put the children in and bring them to the palace to recover!"

The sentry bowed, "At once, Your Grace!"

After the pony left, the rulers embraced each other.

Sweetie squealed, "Oh, Button, I'm so excited!"

The king smiled with happy tears in his eyes, "After ten long years, we might finally have a chance to end slavery once and for all!"

 ** _Author's Note: CartoonNerd12 helped me write part of this chapter, mainly from when Button and Sweetie first receive news of the pursuit to when Chicken Face argues with Smoky._**


	5. Adjusting

Mothball whispered as he quietly walked out of the room, "Okay, buddy. I'll be back with your milk in ten minutes."

To have a little recharge after losing Sombra, Screwball and her family had decided to vacation in Marendelle for a while. Mothball walked down the halls to get to the kitchen, but suddenly, two nurses rushed by in the hallway intersection in front of him. This alarmed the changeling, thinking that someone might've been seriously injured. Out of concern, he followed the nurses' path to the hospital wing. When he arrived, he saw Button Mash and Sweetie Belle waiting just outside the privacy screen.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Button and Sweetie jumped a bit at Mothball's voice.

Sweetie put her hoof to her chest and breathed, "Oh, Mothball, it's you."

Button asked, "What are you doing here?"

Mothball explained, "Oddball woke up because he wanted warm milk. I didn't want to wake up Screwball because you know how she gets when she's cranky."

Sweetie smiled, "Tartarus hath no fury like a chaos storm of crankiness."

"I was going to the kitchen when I saw two nurses race to the hospital wing. I thought there might be someone who was injured or something."

"We hope it's nothing of the sort."

"Then what is going on?"

Button's face broke out into an ecstatic grin, "We found six slave children who washed up on a sandbar not far from here!"

Mothball's mouth and eyes flew open, "No kidding!"

Sweetie Belle nodded, "It's true! We're excited because the kids are safe from their masters and they could tell us where the remaining slave hideouts are."

Her husband said, "If we can locate the last of them, slavery will at long last be dead." He stomped his hoof in determination as he finished his sentence.

Just then, the head doctor parted the privacy screen and spoke, "All six of them are doing well, Your Highnesses. They should be expected to wake up in the morning. Would you like to see them?"

The three royals nodded and promised to keep quiet. They followed the doctor into the wing, where six curtained beds sat in a row. The nurse pulled back the curtains of the first bed to reveal a pale Earth colt with a mane of light cyan and moderate opal.

Sweetie Belle softly said, "This one looks like he's about 12."

Button Mash spoke quietly, "I hope he's not too far gone."

The next bed they came up to revealed an adolescent yak with long shaggy locks of hair sprawled on either side of her pillow.

Button said in surprise, "A yak?"

Mothball asked, "Why would they have a yak as a slave?"

"Low opinion of her race, I say."

With the third bed, the nurse parted the curtains to reveal an orange dragon with a moderate orchid fin on her horned head. The royals were surprised to even see a dragon as part of a group of slave children.

Button breathed, "Wow."

Mothball said, "They must've taken her at a really young age if she was a slave for this long."

The doctor spoke up, "That's not all." He then showed them a thin metal collar in his hoof, "She was wearing this when they found the children. It's a collar designed to prevent dragons from breathing fire."

Sweetie gasped, "Oh, those horrible slavers!"

Button was almost afraid to say it, "I hope they didn't enslave children from other races, too."

The doctor solemnly answered, "I'm afraid they did."

He then pulled back the curtains of the next bed, revealing a blue griffon with yellow coloring on his body.

Button Mash remarked, "They must've really cracked down on this fella."

Sweetie told the nurse, "Show us the next one."

The nurse complied and withdrew the curtains to reveal a pale, light grayish arctic blue changeling.

Mothball gasped, "A changeling?"

Sweetie said, "But I thought changelings almost never live outside the hive."

Mothball then realized, "Unless…this was the egg stolen by bandits four years ago!"

"Four years? But that doesn't make any sense."

Button asked, "Are you sure no other changeling but you has lived outside the hive?"

Mothball nodded, "I'm absolutely sure."

The king put his hoof to his chin in contemplation, "Interesting."

The doctor asked, "Would you like to see the last one?"

Sweetie answered, "Yes, please."

Button said almost sarcastically, "I wonder what twist fate's going to throw at us this time."

To their utter surprise, the bed's curtains were pulled back to reveal –

Sweetie blurted out in shock, "A hip-" The others shushed her before she continued more quietly, "A hippogriff?!"

Button – who was just as stunned as his wife – asked, "But where did she come from?"

The doctor suggested, "That's something you could ask her when she's recuperated."

Sweetie said, "Thank you, doctor. Your hard work will be well-rewarded. Goodnight." When the royals left the wing, she exclaimed in excitement, "A hippogriff! An actual hippogriff!"

Mothball asked, "But didn't the hippogriffs vanish a long time ago?"

Button explained, "11 years ago, actually. When we heard no word from them after the Windigo attack, we assumed that the winter demons had wiped them out. But there was no trace of snow or ice anywhere on Mt. Aris. The whole kingdom was just…empty. The mystery of their disappearance is just baffling."

Sweetie suggested, "But maybe this young hippogriff could tell us. She might know what happened to them."

"Then let's knock out three birds with one stone: find the kids' families, end slavery, and find out where the hippogriffs have gone to."

At that moment, a young voice rang through the hallways, "Dad! Dad!"

Mothball said, "Oh, no, Oddball's out of bed. I gotta go."

As her nephew-in-law flew down the hallway, Sweetie Belle asked, "Do you want me to grab some milk for him? I can do that right now."

After his wife left for the kitchen, Button said to no one in particular, "I guess I'll just stay here, then."

* * *

They left Canterlot promptly at dawn. The train chugged down the mountainsides and onto the peaceful plains. Although the dawn ushered in a bright and sunny day, all was not well for the Canterlot sisters. They kept thinking about how they could likely outlive their husbands. Their husbands likewise thought about leaving their loved ones behind and in pain for maybe a hundred years or more.

Twilight fretted while saying to Flash, "I can't believe it never occurred to me about the genetics of alicorns flowing through me and my sisters! At least Discord and Spike have longevity in their biology, but you and the others are…" She was at the point of tears.

Flash grimaced at the thought, but he said, "It's okay, honey. I mean, we knew it would happen someday…"

"Yes, but when it does, it'll be at least an era or so before I can join you!"

Rarity overheard and sadly pointed out, "She's right, you know…" She turned to her beloved husband, "We'll be separated for such a long period of time! How will I ever cope with such loneliness and grief?!" She began to bawl as Fancy held her close while lost in his own dismay.

Pinkie and Cheese had been staying close together since they discovered this recent development. The pink mare cried out, "Don't go, Cheesy! Please, please don't go that big party in the sky! _I need you!_ " She kept on crying.

Cheese tried to ease her, "I don't want to, my Pinkie-Winkie, but I have no choice…You know that…"

"IT'S NOT FA-A-A-A-AIR!" she loudly sobbed out.

Rainbow Dash pitifully looked on at the scene before turning to her own husband. Now that it was mentioned how young she and her sisters still were, she could see the salt and pepper in Soarin's mane. To her dread, she realized that there wasn't much time for them. Age was creeping up fast on her true love and she was helpless to stop it; it upset her to no end. She thought back to when she and her sisters were forced to have suitors. It had seemed that all hope was lost and she couldn't be with Soarin because of the arrangement. But because they fought for their loves, they had their happily-ever-afters. But now, there may not be a happily-ever-after at this point.

Soarin gave her a sad look and motioned for a hug. Rainbow would have outright refused at first, but not this time. Not when time was too precious right now. She gave in as she cried into his chest and he cried in her mane.

Sunset and Timber were solemnly facing each other as she uttered, "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" he asked, though he had an inkling.

"I should not have come to Splendor Woods and broken your curse. Maybe then you could have still lived on and…and…"

He shook his head and took her hoof to kiss, "You coming into my life was the best thing that could have ever happened. So what if my time is short compared to yours? We were able to live, Sunset, and that is the greatest thing we could ever have."

Sunset sniffled before she embraced Timber and wept into his shoulder.

Spike told his wife, "I should feel lucky that I get to live as long as you will, but…I don't."

Applejack nodded sadly, "I know. Ya hafta say goodbye to those ya care for and you won't see them again for a really long time."

Spike held her in a one-arm embrace.

Fluttershy stared at the floor and sighed.

Discord asked in concern, "Are you all right, dear? Are you tired? Is it a mood swing?"

She shook her head, "It's none of those. I'm just thinking about how long my sisters and I will live. If Mother's lived as long as a thousand years and she's just lost Father, I can't imagine how long she'll have to endure the pain before she reunites with him in the afterlife."

"I used to worry about outliving you, but now that you have longevity genes, we can grow old together."

She then asked, "Yes, but what about the others? Applejack will still have Spike, but the others won't have their beloveds. What's going to happen when Flash is gone? And Fancy? And even Cheese?"

"Oh," Discord uttered in realization. He would have his sister, wife, daughter, grandson, and future child to live a long time with. But what about his brothers-in-law? Losing Sombra was hard enough, but he dreaded the moment he would lose his guy friends. Now he regretted forcing the issue on them when he gloated about having Fluttershy practically forever.

Skyla told Blackthorn, "I feel bad for my aunts. Sure, Fluttershy and Applejack will have their husbands for as long as they live, but the others will be gone."

He comforted her, "You don't have to worry about me. I won't be ageless forever. Thicket will return and we'll grow old together."

Skyla couldn't help but wonder, "And if it doesn't?"

Blackthorn said in an assured manner, "It will."

Capri couldn't stand this constant worrying anymore and got up from her seat. She went to the front of the aisle and clapped to get everyone's attention. "Look, I know how scared you must be of the future since you found out yesterday. When I started fading in the amulet, I became afraid of the moment I would be gone completely. Thanks to Discord, I wasn't.

"But here's the thing: when I was trapped, I couldn't do anything to make each precious moment last. But you all can. You have the freedom to move around and be with those you love. You have the freedom to make the most of your time with each other. Don't spend it worrying about the future. You're not trapped somewhere you can't get to your family. Why fret about death that's going to happen years from now when you can focus on living in the moment? If you live in the now, you can have wonderful memories to look back on.

"And don't worry about being parted by death. You'll be together in the afterlife. You girls will have to wait just a little bit longer."

Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, but how much longer?"

Capri answered, "Well, since your dad was a unicorn, maybe the longevity genes got watered down a bit."

This offered a bit of hope for the sisters, although they were hesitant to believe such a thing. But maybe Capri was right. If they had only, like, a century to live, maybe widowhood wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

"Mmmph…"

Smoky opened her eyes to blurriness as she regained consciousness. Her vision soon cleared to reveal beds in a row in front of her and windows lining the wall above them. She looked around to see her friends sleeping on beds on either side of hers.

She turned to Chicken Face and nudged him, "Hey. Chicken Face. Wake up."

The griffon's closed eyes furrowed as he groaned and waved his arm, "Not now. Gimme five more minutes…"

Suddenly, a tan filly jumped on his bed, "Wake up!"

Chicken Face jolted awake and yelped. Hearing his cry, the other children woke up as well.

Sweetie Belle – who was with the other members of the royal family – smiled, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Kelp Head asked, "Where are we?"

The tan filly jumped down Chicken Face's bed and answered, "You're on Marendelle!"

Bug Eyes then asked, "Are we safe here?"

Mothball then approached her, "Of course."

Unfortunately, she yelped at the sight of him.

"Don't worry. I'm a changeling, just like you."

She said in a confused manner, "I'm a changeling?"

A unicorn colt nodded, "Yep. I'm Snowflake. And this is Aerodynamic, Lucky, Pepper, Thunderclap, Bullet, and –"

Oddball interrupted to introduce himself, "Oddball!"

Snowflake – the second-in-line to the Marendelle throne – was born just one year after his parents Snow Pea and Quill Scarlet had gotten married. Like both Snowy and Quill, he was a bookworm and very intellectual. He was also polite and very kind, never throwing a tantrum. He had snow powers like his mother did, but when he wasn't using them for recreation, he'd conjure up snowflakes and study their geometry. By doing this, he often wondered how he could make each snowflake different and uniquely beautiful. Like his mother, he had a white coat, but he also had blue eyes.

In terms of bloodline, Aerodynamic was a different story. A Pegasus filly with hippogriff heritage, she was orphaned at a young age and constantly ridiculed for her large wings. She was only seven when a stunt group called The Washouts decided to recruit her as their "pygmy hippogriff". Two years later, Dyna was found by Skater and formally adopted by her after they exposed the Washouts for child endangerment. Now 12 years old and living between the palace and the Castle of Friendship, Aerodynamic was living the sweet life as a Guardian's daughter. Along with her hippogriff wings, she had a grayish raspberry coat with white splotches all over her body. She also had teal eyes and a long blonde mane and tail which were braided and reached down to her elbows and knees.

The Quad Squad came as a surprise to everypony. Not only were they the first pony quadruplets ever to be born, but they were also born during Calypso's Tempest, which would batter Marendelle every 25 years. Despite harsh weather and nearly losing the runt, everything turned out all right for the mother Bubble Gum, the kids, and the kingdom. Oh, and Roller Blade was okay, too. The four-year-old foursome consisted of Pepper, Bullet, Thunderclap, and Lucky.

Lucky was a Pegasus filly who was also the runt of the quads. The adults had initially feared that she was a stillborn until Rumble used a massaging technique he had learned during his time as a hospital assistant. However, this brush with death wasn't the only time she was lucky. Being a daredevil like her father and grandmother, she had gotten into more scrapes than anyone could count. She and Bullet shared the same tan coat that their grandma Babs Seed had.

Pepper was an Earth filly who thought of herself as important and independent. The Strapgardian confidence ran through her veins just as it had run through the veins of her mother, grandmother, and ancestors before her. Bullet – the firstborn – was a Pegasus colt very much like his father. He had a certain brashness and boldness about him. He would zip around the halls of the palace and the streets of the entire town with nary a care in the world.

Thunderclap was an Earth colt who was strong for his age. True to his name, he created a crack-like sound whenever he kicked or pounded something. Despite the impression that he could grow up into a wrestler or a strongcolt in a circus, he was also very bright. He could solve a puzzle in less than a minute and devise ways to reach the cookie jar. He and Pepper shared their grandpa Featherweight's light coat.

Quill Scarlet then said, "I'm Quill Scarlet. This is my wife, Snow Pea. King Button Mash and Queen Sweetie Belle of Marendelle. Snow Pea's sister Little Button. Her fiancé Rock Salt. My sister Bubble Gum with her husband Roller Blade. Roller's twin sister Skater. Sweetie Belle's sisters Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Their husbands Pip and Rumble. Apple Butter and her husband Zealot. And Screwball with her husband Mothball."

Bird Horse squealed, "Ooh! It's really great to meet you all!"

Yak put her hoof to her head and groaned, "Yak not sure yak can remember all those names."

Snow Pea asked, "Well, what are _your_ names?"

Kelp Head answered, "I'm Kelp Head. This is Yak, Smoky, Chicken Face, Bug Eyes, and Bird Horse."

Scootaloo asked with a raised brow, "Wait. _Those_ are your names?" When the Young Six nodded, she inquired, "Didn't you have another one before you became slaves?"

"We were practically babies when we became slaves."

This elicited gasps from the royal family, along with utterances of "How terrible! Those monsters!"

Yak spoke up, "Wait. Yak not baby when become a slave. Yak five when bad slavers take yak from family."

Sweetie asked, "Do you remember if you had a name?"

Yak thought very hard about it, "It…it…" Her eyes then flew open with excitement, "Yona! Yak name Yona!"

Rock Salt commented, "Well, it's a start."

Bug Eyes asked in concern, "You're not going to hurt us, are you?"

Skater waved her hoof in dismissal, "Aw, heck, no! You're free from those rotten slavers. And if they try to come to our doorstep, we won't let them!"

Apple Butter said, "We hate slavery just as much as you do."

Zealot then said, "In fact, I was once a slave myself before I was bought into freedom."

The Young Six gasped and Bird Horse asked, "You were?"

He nodded, "Yes. It took me a while to adjust to a new life of freedom after being a slave for all of my childhood. I know how it feels to be helpless and confused. I can help you create a new life for yourselves. We all can."

The Young Six asked in hope, "You will?"

Screwball smiled, "Absolutely."

 ** _CartoonNerd12 helped me write the part about the train ride. Her section starts with "Twilight fretted..." and ends with "that is the greatest thing we could ever have."_**


	6. Applewood

"Fillies and gentlecolts…welcome to Applewood!"

Upon hearing the regent's words, the visiting Canterlot family peered out their windows and took in the sight of Applewood, so shining, shimmering, and splendid. It was a place where the modern met the fairytale.

When the train pulled up to the station, Canter Zoom and Cheese Sandwich sang as they danced onto the platform, _"Applewood…Where the streets are paved with gold…Where dreams can never grow o-o-o-o-old…Right here in Apple…wood!"_ At the end of the song, they struck a mirrored pose in which they stood on their hind legs and stretched out their arms as if to reveal something to their audience.

The other royals and guests laughed and clapped as they got off the train.

Pinkie beamed with pride, "That's my Cheesy!"

Skyla remarked, "I can't wait to see Applewood for the first time."

Capri waved her lizard hand nonchalantly as she said, "Eh. I've been here before."

Applejack asked, "With Discord after you were freed or when you were on Paraddock?"

"Actually, both. _But_ I've never seen a movie get made. Well, Discord and I tried to through a window, but that doesn't compare to an actual experience."

Canter Zoom chuckled, "Well, I promise you an experience that's gonna totally blow your minds. You're gonna see magic happen right before your very eyes! Now, come along with me and I'll show you an Applewood that's up close and personal."

He and his guests walked off the platform and discovered three open carriages waiting for them. Each carriage could hold six beings at once, so the group quickly devised the arrangement in which they would sit. In the first carriage, Capri took the back right seat with Discord sitting next to her. In front of him, Fluttershy sat in the middle row with Flash Sentry on her right side. As for Twilight, she took her seat with Canter Zoom on her left in the front row.

In the second carriage, Rainbow and Soarin called dibs on the front seats. Applejack and Spike were content with taking the back seats while Rarity and Fancy Pants sat in the middle row. In the third carriage, Pinkie and Cheese took the front seats while Sunset and Timber sat in the middle and Skyla and Blackthorn placed themselves in the back. The guards coupled to the carriages soon pulled the vehicles down the path and towards the city gate.

Capri gave a fake yawn, "Not your typical Applewood welcome. I expected something a bit more…flashy."

The regent chuckled, "And flashy you'll get."

Just as the carriages reached the city gate, the curtains just behind the raised gate parted. When the carriages rolled into Applewood, the royals were met with hundreds – perhaps thousands – of cheering ponies and creatures packed on either side of the street. Even the paparazzi were present, flashing their cameras for good shots of the royals. Sparkles and confetti rained down on the procession as the royals waved to the denizens they passed. Some of the group, including Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, greeted the crowd with enthusiasm.

Capri waved to the crowd as she smiled in satisfaction, "Now _this_ is an Applewood welcome."

Canter Zoom smirked, "We are a kingdom of tradition."

The carriages soon made their way to the palace gate and into the inner court, where a large crowd cheered for their arrival. A red carpet stretched from the edge of the stone path to the doors of the palace. At the doors was the crown princess, who was fidgety with excitement. In addition to her glasses and film reel mane bands, she had moderate azure eyes, a strong cerulean mane with moderate arctic blue streaks, and a pale, light grayish olive coat. When the carriages circled around the fountain in the center of the courtyard, they stopped with the first one right next to the red carpet.

After a formal fanfare, the herald announced through a microphone, "Announcing the return of Regent Canter Zoom and the arrival of the Queen of Canterlot, her sisters and their husbands!"

After the crowds cheered once more, the princess pushed the herald aside in her excitement as she said, "Thank you for that lovely introduction!" She then grabbed the microphone and cleared her throat. "Ahem. Welcome home, Uncle! And welcome to Applewood, everyone else! I'm Crown Princess Juniper Montage, and I want to give you a big welcome that represents all the glamorous things our humble little kingdom is."

Canter Zoom muttered to his passengers, "Oh, boy. This is where she reveals something big and over-the-top. I do admire her enthusiasm, but a lot of times, eh…she can leave quite a mess."

Discord smiled intriguingly, "Ooh, if that's the case, then I wonder what Juniper's going to pull off this time."

Juniper said giddily, "Whenever you're ready, Uncle!"

Canter Zoom said, "That's our cue."

When the passengers of the first carriage stepped out of the vehicle and onto the red carpet, Juniper pressed a button that activated the party cannons on the wall walk surrounding the courtyard. The cannons blasted out streamers, gold and silver star confetti, and glitter over the court, much to the surprise of her uncle.

Canter Zoom remarked, "Wow. This is actually nice. For a minute, I thought Juniper was going to go big and –"

A loud boom from larger cannons on the ground surrounding the walls interrupted his string of words. From these cannons flew large bursts of flour, which descended onto the ground and coated everything in a heavy snowfall.

Canter Zoom deadpanned, "Ah. There's the mess."

* * *

As soon as everyone cleaned the flour off them inside the palace, Juniper apologized, "I am so sorry, Uncle! I specifically told Grape Shot to put _flowers_ in the cannons, not _flour_!" She then grunted in aggravation, "Ugh! Sometimes the servants can be so incompetent!"

Canter Zoom put his hoof on his niece's shoulder as he sighed in understanding, "It's all right, Juniper. I know you wanted to make a big impression for the Canterlot royals."

Twilight smiled, "And the flour incident doesn't make us think any less of you."

Juniper let out a tiny squeal of delight as she shook the mare's hoof, "Queen Twilight Sparkle! It's a pleasure to meet you! I have tons of questions for you!"

A voice then asked, "Questions about ruling a kingdom, no doubt?"

The group turned to see a tall pale unicorn step into the room. He had a black mane to match his pointed goatee, which underlined his serious face.

Canter Zoom said to the visitors, "Your Highnesses, Captain, Capri, I would like you to meet my trusted advisor Neighsay."

The group greeted out of courtesy, "Hi!"

Neighsay, however, only replied in a deadpanned tone, "Charmed."

Discord whispered to Capri, "Boy! Wet blanket, much?"

Capri nodded in agreement, "Mm-hmm."

Canter Zoom continued, "He's been helping Juniper with her queen training. They've been making excellent progress."

Neighsay spoke up, "You mean, _I've_ been making progress. The princess hardly does anything to pay attention to my lessons."

Canter Zoom face-hoofed and groaned, "Juniper, how many times must we go through this? You need to listen to Neighsay so you can be prepared when you're queen someday. I'm not going to be around forever."

The sisters and their husbands winced at each other as they were reminded of the longevity issue.

Juniper argued, "I _would_ be prepared if I got more free time outside of my lessons."

Her uncle sighed, "Okay...How about this? If I let you give the guests a tour of the movie studio, will you pay more attention to your lessons?"

Juniper's face broke out in a gleeful grin and she squealed, "Yes! Yes-yes-yes-yes!" She then hugged Zoom, "Oh, thank you-thank you-thank you-thank you, Uncle! I'm going to get ready!"

As soon as she zipped out of the room, Neighsay protested to the regent, "Sire, you can't cave in to her demands like this!"

Canter Zoom explained, "What else can I do? She's so free-spirited and stubborn. At times, she reminds me so much of -"

The advisor interrupted him, "Yes, yes, yes. I understand. But she needs to be a proper queen in order to rule the kingdom. And to be a proper queen, she needs to be a proper princess."

"So she's a little rough around the edges. I'm sure after today, she'll be more willing to pay attention to her lessons."

Neighsay humphed, "I certainly hope so. In the meantime, you need to put your hoof down when she misbehaves. Show her that you're the authority and she needs to obey you."

Canter Zoom said, "Well, when the situation calls for it, I'll do that."

"See that you do."

Sunset then asked her family, "Do you think we should get involved in this?"

Blackthorn shook his head, "No. It's not our concern how the princess is disciplined."

Fancy Pants said, "I agree. It's bad manners to intrude on one's life unless it's absolutely necessary."

Just then, Juniper entered the room and singsonged, "I'm ready!" She then asked in her normal voice, "So, where do you want to go first?"

* * *

Skyla smiled, "I can't tell you how grateful we are to have you show us around the movie studio."

Spike then muttered, "Even if two certain draconequui strayed from the group to watch a movie being filmed."

Juniper shrugged happily, "Eh, their loss. Now, come on! I want to show you the set where they recently made _Hayvengers: Endgame_!"

Before the group could continue on, however, they heard shouting behind an office door.

 _"_ _If you had just listened to me, you would have a much better movie on your hooves! Good day to you, sir!"_

The door burst open and a frustrated mare charged out of the room with papers beneath her wings. Blinded by her anger, she didn't see Sunset and ran straight into her.

As she gathered her papers, the mare apologized, "Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't look where I was going!"

Sunset said, "Oh, no worries. Here. Let me help you pick these up." She magically levitated the rest of the papers onto the mare's hoof before she asked, "Are you all right, Miss…?"

She trailed off when the mare looked directly at her. She had moderate sapphire blue eyes, a brilliant gamboge coat, and a striped grayscale mane in a ponytail that hung on one side.

The mare's face broke out in a giant grin, "Sunset Shimmer!"

Sunset embraced her, "Virtue Mystique!"

Juniper asked in confusion, "Uh…Do you know each other?"

Suddenly, a stallion ran up to the group and said breathlessly, "Your Highnesses…*pant pant*…the story meeting is in…*pant*…eight minutes!"

Juniper gasped, "Eight minutes?! We'd better get going!"

The royals went with her, but Flash Sentry stopped before he could round the corner. He looked back to see Sunset with Virtue and he asked, "Aren't you coming, Sunset?"

Sunset shook her head, "No, no. You go ahead. I think I'd like to talk to Virtue for a few minutes. I'll catch up with you later."

Flash shrugged, "Okay, then. See ya."

* * *

Sunset and Virtue found the snack bar and sat on a nice table while eating Bon Mot peanut butter praline crunch bars.

The unicorn told the young mare, "Oh, Virtue. It's so good to see you again."

She responded, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Sunset smiled, "Try eight years!"

* * *

 _Eight years ago…_

14-year-old Blaze had his entire collection of Daring Do books out as he waited with his family for the arrival of A.K. Yearling and her husband.

Sunset came up to him and chuckled, "Are you going to ask Daring Do to sign all of those?"

Blaze replied, "Heck yeah! This is my first meeting with her face-to-face!"

Timber came into the room that was once Starlight's study in the manor. "Trust me, kiddo, you will not be disappointed."

Sunset added, "And don't forget, we're also expecting Starlight, Sunburst, and Nova tomorrow."

Blaze pointed, "I know that, why do you think I bought some cologne -" He caught himself, "I mean, some _air freshener_ to make sure everything smells nice for their visit?" He made a cheesy smile.

Sunset and Timber exchanged a knowing smirk.

Blaze quickly said, "I think I'll go check to make sure everything's ready." He swiftly left the room.

Once he was out of sight, his parents chuckled.

Timber commented, "He's got it bad."

Sunset gestured, "Well, when you have your first kiss with somebody, you tend to get stuck on them."

Timber sighed, "He's growing up so fast that it's hard keeping track of what he's thinking."

She patted his back, "He's a teenager now, hon. We were about to hit this stage sooner or later."

"No duh…"

Suddenly, a knock came at the front door.

Sunset said, "Bet that's A.K. and Quibble now." They went right to the door and as she opened it, there stood Daring Do as her alias A.K Yearling. Beside her was Quibble Pants, but there was also someone behind them that Sunset couldn't identify at the moment. She said excitedly to them, "Hey guys! Long time, no see!" She hugged A.K., who returned the embrace.

Timber and Quibble shook hooves.

A.K. spoke, "It's great seeing you, too, and thanks for letting us meet here. Gotta keep a low profile, after all."

Quibble exclaimed, "I'll say! You have no idea how popular the Daring Do conventions have gotten in the last twenty years! Mobs everywhere! It's getting harder to hide A.K. Yearling's personal life!"

A.K. mentioned, "And the last thing we want is for our daughter to get publicity."

Both Sunset and Timber gaped, " _Your daughter_?!"

The adventure ponies moved aside to reveal a 13-year-old filly who took after Daring the most but had her dad's coat and eyes.

Quibble said proudly, "Meet our daughter, Virtue Mystique. I came up with the name myself."

Timber whispered to his wife, "That's fairly obvious…"

Sunset slightly nudged him, "Be nice…"

A.K. apologized, "Yeah, sorry we didn't tell you, but we had to make sure that Virtue was raised without any exposure. It would have been too dangerous for her if anyone knew who she was related to."

Sunset gave a small smile, "We understand…At least we're meeting her now." She addressed the filly, "You know, we have a son about your age. Would you like to meet him?"

Virtue smiled and nodded.

"Great! Why don't you three come inside to freshen up while I get Blaze?"

The family of three went inside and Sunset was about to follow when her husband stopped her.

Timber whispered again, "Wow, are we sure she's Quibble's kid?"

Sunset scolded softly, "Timber! What a thing to say!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! It's just that she's not much of a talker."

Sunset mentioned, "Maybe, but that doesn't mean she can't speak."

* * *

Virtue explained, "Of course, it was so Dad could talk whenever he wanted. But truthfully, there was another reason."

"Oh?"

"You see, I have a really bad habit of letting things slip. I think of something and it just completely comes out of my mouth."

Sunset smiled, "Sure reminds me of a certain stallion."

"Yeah, but Dad is _way_ better at keeping secrets than I am. Mom is, too. Me? I have to try really hard to control my tongue so I don't blow our cover."

Sunset then asked, "Just curious: what were you doing in that office?"

Virtue groaned in agitation, "Because some smart-aleck film director wanted to take creative liberties with my mother's work! _Her work!_ Even though I'm A.K.'s daughter, they seem to listen to only her." She then imitated the director in a less-than-flattering tone, "'Oh, well, she's the expert. How would you know what she wants?'"

She growled angrily, "Argh! I came _this_ close to stuffing the contents of the nearest wastebasket down his throat! You don't think I know my own mother?! I know what she likes, I know her closest friends and greatest enemies! I even know where she was born! The only thing I don't know about her is where she is!"

Sunset was surprised by her last sentence. "'Where she is'?"

Virtue, realizing that she blurted again, sighed in dismay while holding her head in her hooves, "The last time I saw her and Dad was when they were leaving to find the fabulous treasure of Queen Parabola. They found the map spiders that were said to lead the way, but then Mom got bit by a venomous snake. Dad sent me a letter telling me what happened and how they were going to find the Crystal Sphere of Khumn, which can heal any ailment. It's been over a year now and I've heard no word from or about them!

"At first, when I waited a whole month, I assumed the worst. But then I decided to investigate the locations where they were seen last. I picked up on a few leads, but all they led to were dead ends. I've also been researching countless myths and legends in the hopes of finding my parents there, but my searches always turn up empty-hoofed."

Sunset asked, "And what about the film director?"

The Pegasus explained, "My mom was being consulted for the upcoming _Daring Do_ film when she and Dad disappeared." Virtue's face then twisted into pure aggravation as she continued, "I told the creative heads to wait until A.K. Yearling could be contacted, but two months later, they decided to make the film anyway, with or without our input! Apparently, my two cents don't matter because I'm not the author!" She sighed as she calmed herself down. "You should've gone to the story meeting with the others. That way, your input wouldn't be ignored."

Sunset cast her eyes down on the table and confessed, "It wouldn't have mattered that much anyway."

Virtue asked, "What do you mean?"

"I barely know my family, let alone my father. When I was a foal, someone kidnapped me and shut me away from the world for 27 years. Just before my 28th birthday, I snuck out of the house and made my way to Canterlot. When I got there, I met my sisters – who I thought were just the princesses. We eventually found out who I was: a princess of Canterlot. But sometimes, I just feel like a fraud. I didn't grow up in the palace, I never spent my childhood with my sisters. I didn't even stay because I wanted to explore the world."

"Hey, I get that. Being cooped up for a good portion of your life will make you want to crave something new, different, and exciting. Trust me, I've lived through it a couple times."

Sunset chuckled before she said, "You know, it's strange. When I was young, I'd spend hours reading the exciting tales of King Sombra. I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if he was my dad?'" She then gave another chuckle, "Little did I know…" Her face then fell again, "And yet, even with Sombra as my dad, it still feels like I barely know him outside of the stories I read about him. It's weird, really. I spent half of my life wanting a family…and the other half trying to act like I never left. I want to be close to my family like my sisters are. I want to be a part of their world, but for some reason, I always feel like an outsider, never truly fitting in."

Virtue comforted her, "I think I know how you feel. When I'm A.K.'s daughter, I always feel like a fraud whenever I'm talking to somepony outside of my family and close circle of friends. I'm sure Mom felt the same way before she became friends with you and dated Dad."

"How come you never told us that your parents disappeared? We would've helped you."

"I didn't want to draw attention to it. If the public knew that A.K. Yearling was missing, it would raise suspicion that she is…" She looked around to see if there were any listening ears before she continued, "… _her_. Besides, if something happened to you, I wouldn't forgive myself."

Sunset assured her, "I wouldn't worry about that. The Canterlot family succeeds in everything they do, no matter how great the danger."

Virtue took comfort in her words and then said with a confident grin, "Okay. Let's fill everyone in tonight."

Sunset wrapped her arm around her and said, "Thank you. I promise we'll help you bring your parents back home."

 ** _AN: I'm baaack! I'm very sorry it took this long to update the story. I know I promised May, but I just wasn't feeling it. Plus, I think a certain sister was stealing my writing mojo._**

 ** _The tidbit Cheese Sandwich and Canter Zoom sing at the beginning of the chapter is from_** **Cats Don't Dance** ** _. Can you figure out which song?_**

 ** _Fun fact: CartoonNerd12 originally wrote the flashback as part of a one-shot, but it never quite came to pass._**


	7. One Surprise after Another

**_AN: The song featured in this chapter is "In a Place of Miracles" from the 2014 musical_** **The Hunchback of Notre Dame.**

 ** _Speaking of songs, I uploaded a playlist for_** **Prisoners of the Heart** ** _. It is incomplete at the moment, but I will add in new songs and scores as the story progresses._**

 ** _There are lots of references in here! See if you can spot them all!_**

It was the end of an exhilarating-yet-exhausting day for the Marendelle royals as well as the Young Six. The family had wasted no time in introducing the lost children to the many wonders of their palace, the countless items they had, and the delicious food served to them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Naturally, the Young Six were excited to see all the new things they hadn't before. It gave the royals great joy to see the glee and curiosity on their faces. It even made them grateful for all the blessings they had in their lives. However, this wasn't the only upside to their day.

Yona learned about the traditions of her homeland through Bubble Gum reading a book about Yakyakistan to her. She even honored some of those customs by wearing a green rug as a shawl and having her hair braided by Aerodynamic.

Chicken Face took a lukewarm interest in griffon history, but he greatly enjoyed the stories about brave knights and daring heroes. When coming up with a new name for himself, he and Snowflake came across the word "gallus", which meant "self-confident". Thus, he proudly chose his name.

When Smoky learned about the Dragon Lands, she was ready to become a real dragon. It took a while for her to relearn how to breathe fire, but with a little help from a Windigo Ghost Pepper, she gained a zest for her new ability. As for her new name, Quill Scarlet listed synonyms for "smoky" until they happened upon "smolder". And so the name for the young dragon was decided upon.

Mothball thought it was best if he taught Bug Eyes about changeling history and culture. The younger of the two listened with great interest and fascination. When Mothball pointed to each of his body parts and mentioned their names, Bug Eyes was amazed that a changeling's eye was called an ocellus. In that moment, the young changeling knew she wanted to name herself "Ocellus".

Kelp Head had the easiest time fitting in. Since he was a pony, he had no trouble learning about pony culture from Little Button and Rock Salt. But even if he was glad to be somewhere that was like home, he was worried about his friends and if they would ever get back to their homelands. When Skater asked him what he wanted to be named, he chose "Sandbar" because that was where he and the other five were rescued. And to the surprise of everyone, he got his cutie mark just by spending the afternoon on the beach!

Bird Horse was the easiest to impress because she was enthralled with every knick-knack in the castle, even mundane items such as the kitchen sink! Truthfully, she was also the hardest to keep still while being read to about the hippogriffs, partly because the Quad Squad kept distracting her. And yet, she was the most enigmatic because she didn't know what happened to her kind. She told the royals that the slavers told her she was a freakish hybrid of a bird and a horse, hence earning her the moniker of "Bird Horse". When they asked her what new name she wanted, she couldn't choose from – as she put it – "so many wonderful names". So, in an effort to whittle down her choices, the royals asked her if she remembered her original name or had any clue pertaining to it.

Bird Horse then dug into her mane just behind her left ear and pulled out a small metal tag with the initials "S.S." on it. She explained that she had this chainless tag for as long as she could remember and was advised by other slaves to keep it hidden from their masters. Snow Pea and Screwball thought to use this tag as a means of finding out Bird Horse's real name in case it was kept in a record somewhere. When the Young Six and royal children were getting ready for bed, they were naturally too excited to go to sleep and hence started jumping on the beds. After Screwball converted the beds into a giant netted trampoline, she and Snow Pea used this opportunity to contact Twilight about the hippogriffs.

"A hippogriff?!" Twilight cried in excitement through the large wall mirror. "You actually found a hippogriff?! Oh, girls, this is amazing! This is practically history in the making!"

Screwball winced, "Well, before you get too excited, Bird Horse doesn't exactly know where her relatives are, much less her kind."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, "'Bird Horse'?"

Snow Pea explained, "That's the name the slavers gave her." She then levitated the small tag, "She gave us this tag with her original initials on it: S.S. We're wondering if you could find anything on a hippogriff with those letters in her name."

Screwball joked, "I'm surprised it's not 'S.O.S.'." She chuckled at her own joke as Snow Pea gave her a soft scowl.

The alicorn said, "I'll be more than happy to help you and Bird Horse, but I'm afraid there isn't much information on the hippogriffs shortly before they vanished. Thankfully, the records that were left behind on Mt. Aris were copied into the Canterlot archives so they wouldn't be lost. So, how old is she?"

Snow Pea answered, "She doesn't know. None of her friends know their age, either."

Screwball then suggested, "She might be a teenager. Try five to ten years before the hippogriffs disappeared."

"Oh, wait. They said they grew up on an island that speeds up a creature's age."

"Some of them did, but not Yona and Bird Horse."

Twilight contemplated, "Well, in either case, I could leave Applewood early to research the archives."

Suddenly, there was a bright flash behind her and Discord appeared. "Oh, why waste time going to Canterlot when I can bring Canterlot to you?" With a snap of his fingers, Twilight was immediately swamped with piles of books and papers.

Screwball was somewhat suspicious of her father's actions. She could understand that he'd help out her mom or her Marendelle aunts out of the goodness of his heart. When it came to Twilight, however, it meant there was something in it for him. She asked him, "Hey, Dad, is there any particular reason why you want to help Aunt Twilight out?"

Discord shrugged with a smile, "Just feeling extra helpful, I guess."

Twilight deadpanned, "This is because your daughter's on a mission, isn't it?"

"Well, you know there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my children." His hands then flew to his lips as he uttered, "Oops!"

Both mares on the other side of the mirror gaped before they cried, "Children?!"

"Oh, I might as well give you the good news…" He then squealed in delight, "Mommy's pregnant!"

Snow Pea and Screwball shouted in complete and utter surprise, "No way!"

Suddenly, Screwball cheered and bounced around the room, "Woo-hoo! I'm getting a sibling! I'm getting a sibling!" She then stopped in mid-air as she realized, "Wait a minute." She zipped back to the mirror and said with her eyebrow raised in shocked disbelief, "You decide _now_ to give me a sibling after I'm all grown-up and married?!"

Discord defended himself, "Well, we thought she was aging!" He then added in a mutter, "Don't tell her I said that."

Snow Pea asked, "What do you mean by 'aging'?"

Twilight gave a sigh before she started to magically sort through documents and explain, "You see, most of your aunts and I inherited Grandma's slow-aging genes, so biologically, we're still in our prime."

Screwball remarked in a stunned tone, "Wow. I don't know how to feel about this. I'm…glad that I'll have both of my parents for a long time, but then…what about the others? Uncle Fancy and Uncle Timber won't live as long as you will."

"We're trying to figure it out as we go." She then levitated a stack of aged papers as she said, "Here are the birth certificates with double-S names and up to five years before the hippogriffs vanished." After she teleported the papers to the mares on the other side of the mirror, she asked, "Screwball, would you return those to the archives once you find what you're looking for?"

She saluted her aunt, "Will do, Your Highness!"

Discord then said in a bored tone, "I suppose you want me to send all these back where they came from?"

Twilight said as if expecting him to be mischievous, "Knowing you, you'll send the copies to Mt. Aris where the originals are."

Discord smirked, "You're catching on after 38 years."

After he snapped his fingers and the records disappeared, a low boom shook the Applewood suite.

Snow Pea asked in concern, "What was that?"

Twilight answered, "I don't know, but we'll be right back."

Just as Twilight and Discord rushed into the main room, Applejack opened the door, unleashing a deluge of soap bubbles into the suite. They and the other guests who were affected tried to swim through the mass of bubbles that had flooded their rooms. After a moment or so, their heads popped out in the hallway and they spat out any soap residue that had gotten into their mouths.

Canter Zoom soon surfaced and asked in a flabbergasted tone, "What in the name of Faust is this?! There are bubbles everywhere!" When he caught sight of a moving mound of bubbles, his face contorted into anger when he realized who it was. "Juniper Montage!" The mound stopped at the mention of the name and a surprised Juniper surfaced from the bubbly mess. Canter spat out more soap before he scolded her, "How many times have I told you: no making bombs out of _bath bombs_!"

Juniper nervously tittered with a cheesy smile, "Eh-heh-heh-heh…Oops?"

Discord waved his talon nonchalantly, "Oh, don't worry about it. I've been known to make a few _explosive_ bath bombs myself."

Fluttershy scolded him softly, "Not helping, Discord."

Capri spoke up, "I suppose I should clean this up."

With a snap of her fingers, the mass of soap bubbles disappeared from the hallway.

Canter Zoom walked up to his niece as he sighed in exasperation, "Oh, Juniper…I asked you to be on your best behavior and lay off your crazy schemes while the guests were here!" He then added with a discouraged whisper, "Have I taught you nothing?"

Neighsay then walked up to the group and said, "You mustn't be so hard on yourself, Your Majesty. You're an excellent teacher. It's not your fault the princess has learned nothing about proper etiquette and the responsibility that comes with being a great leader."

Canter Zoom said as if considering what his advisor stated, "Hmm. 'Responsibility'." He then asked Juniper with an eyebrow raised in discipline, "And do you know the meaning of that word, Juniper?"

Juniper – with her head hanging in shame – whispered, "I understand, Uncle."

"And do you understand the task that comes with your birthright? Upholding our traditions. When you become of age, then you will be Applewood's rightful queen."

Juniper began to argue, "Look, just because I made one mistake doesn't mean I'll destroy years of tradition!"

Neighsay then shouted, "But one weak link can break the chain of a mighty kingdom!"

Everyone stood in silence for a few moments until Juniper's lips trembled and her eyes began welling up with tears. She let out a whimper as she ran around the corner behind her.

Canter Zoom didn't exactly feel proud about what just happened and he asked Neighsay, "Don't you think that was a bit harsh? She's just a teen."

The unicorn responded, "And what would you have her grow up to be? An irresponsible mare who prefers indulging herself over governing her kingdom? At this point, you have two options: start training her like the princess she is, or give the crown to another."

The regent was at an impasse. Of course he couldn't pass over his own niece – the rightful heir – but if she didn't start learning control now, then how could she rule a kingdom like her parents did before her?

He sighed in defeat, "You're right, Neighsay. She is to be kept inside the castle while the guests are here, and when they return home, her training begins."

Timber spoke up, "Umm…You do know we're here, right?"

Canter Zoom blushed and he rubbed the back of his neck, "Oops. Heh-heh."

* * *

After looking through the birth certificates, Snow Pea and Screwball finally found the one with Bird Horse's baby picture on it. She was Silverstream, Queen Novo's own niece! When they told her about this, she was so excited to be related to royalty! Of course, she would've been excited about her identity anyway. All that mattered was that she had a family to reunite with. Though the other children were unsure about having families of their own, the royals promised to find them so they could finally go home.

The next morning, Apple Butter and Zealot took the Young Six out to see the town. Since they were with royals, the kids were treated like, well, royalty. The baker gave them sweet treats to eat, the jeweler gave Smolder a few gems to chew, and the toymaker gave them neat toys to play with. For the first time in forever, the Young Six could actually be kids!

When the group got back to the castle, Silverstream beamed with joy, "That was so amazing! I never knew so many things existed!"

Smolder agreed, "Oh, yeah! Who knew that opals and garnets would taste so good compared to rubies and sapphires?"

Yona let out a big burp before saying, "And chocolate chip cookies! No forget chocolate chip cookies!"

Gallus deadpanned, "How can we? You ate a whole batch of them."

Sandbar smiled to Apple Butter and Zealot, "We can't thank you enough for doing this for us. We didn't get to do this every day when we were slaves."

Zealot comforted them, "I know. Being treated like a piece of dirt, having no books, no toys. You were just there to be someone's servant. Well, no more, I say. From this day forth, you six are free."

The Young Six cheered and hugged each other and the couple before they calmed down.

Gallus started to sing, _"Here we are, merely strangers…with royals we only just met…"_

Sandbar joined in, _"But then you…made each of us someone new…"_

Smolder sang, _"Trav'ling far on a journey…that's the longest we've taken yet…"_

Silverstream then sang, _"We're so happy that we can only…say 'thank you'…"_

Ocellus joined in with her sweet song, _"Though our lives are tattered and torn…all we're feeling now is reborn…"_

Yona sang, _"We must be…in a place of miracles…"_

Apple Butter sang to the kids, _"Where you can be free…"_

She and her husband sang together, _"In a place of miracles…"_

Zealot sang, _"A miracle was brought to me…"_

He and his wife sang together while holding hooves and looking at each other, _"A free colt and a princess…locked in an embrace…in a place of miracles…"_

Sandbar crooned, _"We thought we'd never know…that warm and loving glow…though we would wish with all our might…"_

Ocellus finished his verse, _"We thought no creature of different race…was ever meant for Heaven's light…"_

Smolder sang, _"All this time…"_

Gallus joined her as he overlapped, _"This time, it's time…"_

 _"_ _I've been certain…"_

 _"_ _We've earned…our freedom; Our luck has turned…"_

 _"_ _Our chances at freedom had flown…"_

 _"_ _From the dark, cruel den we have flown…"_

 _"_ _And what's more, I've pretended…not to care…"_

 _"_ _To a gentle island and her king…"_

Zealot began to sing his own verse, _"But now we're here to guide you…"_

Silverstream overlapped, _"And now we know that we…can finally be free…"_

Zealot and Apple Butter sang together, _"No more need for a heart of stone…"_

Yona sang cheerfully, _"No more need for a heart of stone!"_

Gallus and Smolder sang together, _"Though we set out for lands unknown…they're lands that care…"_

Apple Butter sang in kindness, _"Now you have hope for Heaven's light…"_

The Young Six all sang in a chorus, _"We have reached a friendlier shore…We have found a haven once more…Now we are…in a place of miracles…Now we will come home…to our place of miracles…"_

Sandbar sang alone, _"No longer will we have to roam…Could there be a country kinder to our race?"_

He sang with his five friends, _"In a place of miracles…"_

Apple Butter sang next, _"In a place of miracles…"_

Zealot sang, _"In a place…"_

All eight of them sang together, _"Of miracles!"_ They vocalized before they finished the song.

* * *

In Applewood, Skyla decided to talk to Juniper Montage in the hopes of comforting her. She asked Canter Zoom where she was and he directed her to the lion statues she'd always sit on top of just outside the castle library. Accompanied by Blackthorn and Capri, Skyla managed to find Juniper sulking on the back of one of the statues.

Skyla said to her, "There you are."

Juniper sulked, "Just go away."

"Look, your uncle only wants what's best for you."

"Well, he didn't call me 'the weak link in the chain'."

"I know Neighsay can be a bit…harsh, but I'm sure he didn't mean what he said."

"Oh, I know what he meant: irresponsible, ignorant of the traditions. He practically accused me of bringing down the kingdom!"

Capri joked, "Yeah, I can see it now. There goes the Applewood sign!"

As the draconequus chuckled, Skyla said through gritted teeth, "Not helping, Capri."

Juniper jumped down from the lion statue and snapped, " _You_ can laugh about it!"

Blackthorn advised, "Your Grace, I know it's not easy to take on the responsibilities of being royalty, but you must rise to the occasion if you are to prove you are worthy of taking the throne."

Juniper protested, "But I've got years to do that before I have to become queen. Can't I do what I want now with the freedom I still have?"

He then sighed, "Life doesn't always work that way, young princess. It will always send you in different directions than you anticipate."

Skyla then got an idea. "Oh, say! Why don't you show us around your home? It'd be good manners as host and your uncle would be proud of you for that."

Juniper replied in an unenthused tone, "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Just follow me."

* * *

"And this door goes to my uncle's study. On your left is the Hall of Fame, filled with pictures and autographs from the most famous stars to ever come from Applewood."

Capri whispered to Skyla and Blackthorn, "Sheesh! She's sure being a killjoy, isn't she?"

Skyla responded, "Give her a break. She's just in a bad mood because of what happened last night."

Blackthorn said, "Not to sound like Neighsay, but I hope she learns from this experience."

Skyla touched his shoulder and told him, "You always mean well."

Juniper continued in a bored tone, "And on your right is the Hall of Art. Shall we look at the different and unique paintings there?"

Skyla nodded politely, "That would be very kind of you."

The group went into the hallway and viewed every painting and sculpture they passed. Admittedly, they were all very exquisite and a sight to behold. However, no one could imagine what they would find at the end of the corridor.

Juniper spoke to her guests, "And now we come to the painting my uncle and grandparents admired so much since its arrival here. Fillies and gentlecolts, I give you _Forest Wonder_."

The mere sight of the large painting stole Blackthorn's breath as he gazed upon the artwork with wide eyes. There was Thicket and its city gates, captured in all of their regal glory. Several deer were also included in the painting, including the king and prince themselves! It was as if they were staring in caution at the invisible painter (well, the king had more of a scowl on his face). Blackthorn inched closer to the painting until he could almost touch it.

Before he could put his hoof on the dried paint, Juniper warned him, "Hey! Don't touch the painting!"

He turned to face her and apologized, "Forgive me, my princess. Just where did your family get this?"

Juniper answered, "I don't remember much of the story, but I do know that during a festival in Applewood, a stallion presented my grandparents with this painting to win a contest for the prettiest art. Naturally, he won and he got a big fortune out of it. Normally, the winning entry is just a temporary installation, but my grandparents liked it so much that they decided to hang it here."

Skyla remarked, "I know what you mean. It's very lifelike."

Blackthorn slit his eyes in suspicion, " _Too_ lifelike." He knew that to get to the bottom of this, he had to divulge his secret, even though he didn't like that very much. "This looks _exactly_ like my home of Thicket." He then pointed to select deer as he further explained, "And that's King Aspen and his son, Prince Bramble." He continued to his present company, "We were a very secretive society. No pony alive would've seen the city this up close and still tell others about it, much less show a painting of it."

His fiancée asked, "But what about the myths surrounding Thicket? Surely, ponies must have seen it without getting caught."

"They either hid at a distance or fled after only a minute. But to catch the attention of a herd of deer and still come out of the forest with a painting of…No. No deer would've allowed that, not even the king himself."

Capri hinted slyly, "Yes. It's simply not like them to leave the city _unguarded_."

Her words set the gears in Blackthorn's head into motion. His eyes darted around the painting, but there was no trace of even a single deer guard. Then, a terrible revelation dawned on him.

He asked with mounting dread in his heart, "Juniper, when did your grandparents receive the painting?"

"I think it was about 60, 65 years ago?"

It was confirmation enough. He faced the painting and he uttered, "It's them. This is where they've been this whole time!"

Skyla gasped, "They're trapped in the painting?!"

Capri held out her hands to calm her friends, "Hang on. Let me test that theory."

When the draconequus protracted her tiger claw, Juniper protested, "Wait, don't do that!"

Capri then ran her claw down the painting, but to the surprise of her friends, the canvas remained intact!

"Yep. Just what I suspected. It's an enchanted painting."

Blackthorn spoke up, "Then we've no time to waste. We must inform the regent of this at once."


	8. Misfortune Strikes

Every member of the Marendelle family, Screwball and her family, and the Young Six were all gathered in the den and watching the upcoming _Daring Do_ film on a projection screen. After a long, fun-filled day with the Young Six, everyone was about ready to tuck in for the night. And what better way to end the evening than with a movie? Specifically, the movie that Canter Zoom gave to them as a gift. Right now, the film was drawing close to the end with Daring Do chasing her baddie quarry, a unicorn shaman named Hoodoo. Hoodoo, guarded by his fire demon henchmen, continually shot fireballs with his henchies at Daring Do.

Bullet cheered on, "C'mon, Daring Do!"

Ocellus encouraged more softly, "C'mon, Daring Do!"

Rumble raised his eyebrow in disbelief and whispered to his wife and in-laws, "How is she able to dodge all of those fireballs? One of them should've burned her by now."

Scootaloo whispered in reply, "Well, at least the kids are enjoying the film."

Silverstream cheered, "You can do it, Dare!"

Yona shouted, "Get bad guy!"

Sandbar fretted, "Don't get burnt, Dare!"

Gallus told his pals, "She'll get that dirty ol' shaman!"

Aerodynamic stated, "Daring Do's the greatest hero in the whole world."

Bullet asked, "Even better than Dad?"

Pepper disagreed, "No one's better than Dad!"

Roller smiled in pride at that.

Skater asked playfully, "And what about your Aunt Skater, or Aunt Apple Butter, or any of the other Guardians?"

Pepper said, "You're all great, too."

Skater stuck her tongue out at her twin brother for a quick second, much to his chagrin.

Lucky – who was sitting on top of Roller's head – asked, "What's she going to do, Dad?"

Roller shushed her, "Shh, shh. Let's just wait and see, huh?"

Everyone stared at the screen intently as Daring Do peeked over some boulders to check out the landscape before her.

When they saw Hoodoo run behind a large boulder, Silverstream giggled to lift the tension, "Hee-hee, Hoodoo's running and hiding!"

Smolder snarled, "That slimy, dirty Hoodoo! The yellow-livered old skunk!" She snorted some smoke before she continued, "I'd like to tear his gizzard out!"

Sweetie Belle chastised her, "Why, Smolder, we don't say such talk around here!"

Apple Bloom whispered, "I think she picked it up from the slavers."

Button Mash grumbled, "One more reason to hate them."

On the projection screen, Daring Do surveyed her environment with keen and sneaky eyes, eyes that were only wearing eyeshadow on account of the actress, Chestnut Magnifico.

"Daring Do" goaded, _"Yoo-hoo! Hoodoo! Come out, come out, wherever you are."_

Hoodoo likewise replied while activating his horn, _"Right here, Ms. Do!"_

Pepper leaned back in fear, "Watch out, Daring!"

As Daring avoided Hoodoo's blast, Oddball reassured her, "Don't worry, Pepper. She'll get that yellow-livered…" When his parents glared at him, he corrected his words, "W…Well, she'll get him, all right!"

Yona was so caught up in the excitement of the scene that she raised her head high enough to block some of the kids' view.

Thunderclap fretted, "Yona, Yona, get down! We can't see! Get down!"

Snowflake fussed, "Mama, make her get down."

Snow Pea gently told the yak, "Come on, Yona. Down, dear."

Yona obeyed her and sat down on the floor again.

When Daring leapt from one boulder to another just as Hoodoo's blast missed her, Lucky smiled, "Missed her! Missed her by a mile!"

As the action happened on the screen, Thunderclap asked his mom, "More popcorn, please. More popcorn."

Bubble Gum told him, "Now, Thunder, it's an hour before bedtime."

"Yeah, an hour. Which means there's still more of the movie left."

Roller Blade whispered to his wife, "He does have a point."

The other kids shushed both father and son before redirecting their attention to the screen.

As Hoodoo's shadow loomed over the rock wall and his horn appeared from offscreen, Gallus pointed out, "There he is, behind that rock!"

Every kid watched in suspense as magic enveloped Hoodoo's horn. When he fired, Aerodynamic and Ocellus ducked into their pillows. After a moment, the girls lifted their heads up again.

Ocellus said in a saddened tone, "Oh, dear. He shot poor Daring."

Oddball said confidently, "He missed her. Daring Do's pretending…" He then thought about it and his tone lost its confidence. "…I think."

Hoodoo stepped out from behind the rock and laughed wickedly, _"At last! I have finally disposed of Daring Do!"_

While the villain monologued offscreen, Daring opened one of her eyes.

Oddball stated, "See? I told you! It's one of her tricks!"

When Yona again raised her head over the screen in excitement, Sandbar told her as calmly as he could manage, "Yona, get down!"

A sudden close-up of Hoodoo laughing maniacally startled Yona enough to make her jump away from the screen. When she regained her courage, she stomped in anger. Thankfully, the projector and the screen stayed upright through her stomping.

Hoodoo exclaimed in triumph, _"Now, no one can stop me!"_

Daring Do suddenly pounced on him as she cried, _"I don't think so!"_

As hero and villain wrestled, the kids started shouting for Daring Do to win. Yona even stomped wildly in anticipation. This time, unfortunately, both the projector and the screen fell down, thus ending the film abruptly.

The kids gasped at the sudden turn of events before turning to Yona. "Yona!"

Yona said shamefully, "Yona sorry. Not mean to wreck movie night."

Pip put his hoof on her back and comforted her, "It's all right, Yona. We'll watch the rest of it tomorrow morning."

The kids whined, "Awww!"

Smolder groaned, "Tomorrow morning?"

Bullet started to say, "But we're not a…" He gave a yawn before he finished, "…bit sleepy."

Sweetie Belle smirked, "Sounds like 'a bit sleepy' to me."

Apple Butter then suggested, "How's this? While you're getting ready for bed, why don't you imagine the ending of the film before you see it? Just think: who will triumph?"

Oddball waved his hoof in dismissal, "Pfft! Daring Do always wins!"

* * *

While the grownups were cleaning up in the den, Quill Scarlet asked Screwball, "I get that you put Fledgling's Forbearance on Oddball when he was born, but don't you think he would've gotten the film back up again when the projector and screen fell down?"

Roller agreed, "Yeah. And you could've done it, too."

Screwball answered, "Oddball usually pulls out all the stops if it's something he cares about. Maybe we both knew the movie wasn't as good as it should've been."

Rock Salt spoke up, "Tell me about it. The writing was subpar, the acting was way hammier than usual, and it's not based off any of A.K.'s books."

Apple Butter nodded, "Yeah. And A.K. hasn't released any information about her next book yet. She usually does it within six to nine months of the last book. That is, if she doesn't hit a snag on her adventures."

Pip said, "It's odd that we haven't heard from A.K. at all for about a year. Or Daring Do, for that matter."

Apple Bloom agreed, "You're right. Something's off about this. For the film producers to just make a Daring Do film without her input….it just doesn't feel right."

Little Button gasped, "You don't suppose she's gone missing, do you?"

Button Mash then suggested, "If that's the case, then maybe Quibble went with her."

Rumble agreed, "He must've. If he had stayed behind while she went missing, he would've asked – no, _begged_ us to help."

Mothball said, "Maybe when Screwball, Oddball, and I go back to the Everfree Kingdom, we can rally the cousins and search for Daring and Quibble."

Scootaloo smiled, "That sounds like a great plan! We'll let the others know first thing in the morning."

Bubble Gum picked up a small stuffed puppy and said, "Oh, no. Lucky left Patch behind."

Zealot offered, "Do you want me to take it to her? I can check on the kids while I'm there."

BG smiled as she handed the toy to Zealot, "Thanks a bunch, Zealot."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the kids' shared bedroom – the adults let their own children bunk with the Young Six for the while – they speculated about the plot for a few minutes and then decided to play pretend about it. After using blankets, pillows, and toys for the setting and costumes, Oddball gave out a call.

"Lights, camera, action!"

The blankets that acted as a curtain parted as Sandbar – dressed in smaller blankets – stepped forth in a pompous fashion. He then put his hoof over his muzzle in a menacing manner and said in a mock-villainous voice, "I am Hoodoo! Ah-ha!" He removed his hoof from his face as he laughed that last part.

The Quad Squad – acting as the villagers – mock-coughed and dramatized, "Oh, no! He's making us sick with the Blue River sickness!"

Oddball facehoofed and groaned, "Ugh! It's Blue _Shadow_! Blue! Shadow!"

Pepper scowled, "Says you."

Bullet blew a raspberry at him in defiance.

Snowflake – in an attempt to calm tensions – spoke up, "Let's just continue with the rest of the play, okay?"

Oddball growled, "Fiiine!"

The Quad Squad pretended to be sick and wheezed out, "We are really, really sick! Who will save us from the bad guy?"

A voice then rang out, "I will!"

The other kids blew into their toy trumpets to give a fanfare as Aerodynamic jumped on top of a bed in a Daring Do costume.

The Quad Squad shouted happily, "Daring Do!"

AD declared, "Your little charade as healer is over, Hoodoo! I will stop you and put an end to your monopoly on the villagers' health!"

Sandbar spoke back in a gruff voice, "You will try, my callow foe! You will try! Heat, take her out!"

Suddenly, Gallus appeared in red and orange feathers and blankets worn to resemble fire. He roared and growled as he "attacked" AD.

Aerodynamic said wittily, "Oh-ho! This jungle has it all: the sun, the blistering heat, and even a hothead! But it's missing something. Something like…" She then grabbed a plastic bucket and pretended to splash water on Gallus. "…a splash of cool water!"

Gallus put the bucket over his head as he over-dramatized, "Oh, no! I am defeated! You win, Daring Do! You win." He gave out a mock-choke as he fell onto the pillows surrounding the bed.

After the kids laughed, Smolder commented, "Man, I wish someone had done that to Grunt!"

Aerodynamic asked, "Who's Grunt?"

Gallus answered after he removed the bucket from his head, "He was a griffon like me, but he worked for Flog. He was really stupid, I tell you."

Ocellus corrected him, "The nicer term would be 'more brawn than brains'."

Lucky asked, "Was it horrible when you were slaves?"

Pepper spoke up, "Yeah. Uncle Zealot said that slaves aren't free to do what they want. They can't play, they can't run around, and they have to do what their master says or else."

Sandbar spoke in his regular voice, "It's all true. We didn't sleep in comfy beds. We didn't have pancakes or buttered toast for breakfast. We didn't even have toys to play with. We were just there to serve our masters. And when a slave did something to make their master mad…" He was hesitant to say it. "…they usually got hurt."

Gallus put it bluntly, "Like bruises and cuts and things like that."

The royal kids were shocked by that revelation.

Bullet got angry and declared, "Those rotten no-good meanies! If I was all growed up, I'd beat the silly outta them!"

Pepper asked the Young Six, "Did your mommy and daddy make your boo-boos all better when you were hurt?"

Ocellus sadly answered, "We had no mommy and daddy to keep us safe. We were all alone."

Aerodynamic asked in growing pity, "No family?"

Though she hid her sadness, Smolder shook her head, "Nope."

Pepper started to tear up, "How sad!"

Silverstream pleaded, "Please don't cry! You'll make us cry, too!"

Yona started crying, "Yona no like seeing sad ponies cry!"

Within seconds, most of the kids in the room were bawling their eyes out. The only exceptions were Sandbar, Smolder, and Gallus. While Sandbar tried to comfort everycreature, Smolder and Gallus put their claws to their heads to try to shut out the noise. The latter two didn't like to cry, so they grimaced instead.

She remarked to Gallus, "This just got sappy real quick."

The griffon replied as he used a pillow to cover his head, "No duh."

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, Zealot walked towards the children's room when he heard a muffled noise. As he got closer, he could make out the sounds of sobbing and wailing.

 _Uh-oh,_ he thought. _Something is not right._

He rushed to the room and opened the door to find most of the kids crying.

He raised his voice to be heard over the loud cacophony as he asked, "Kids! What's the matter?!"

The sobbing died down as the kids focused their attention on Zealot.

Ocellus apologized, "We are sorry, Prince Zealot."

Aerodynamic choked, "We're feeling sad because Yona, Smolder, Gallus, Ocellus, Silverstream, and Sandbar were all alone!"

Zealot comforted them with a warm smile, "But they weren't all alone. They had each other. When you're with friends, you're never alone."

The kids looked at each other and muttered in agreement.

Snowflake asked Zealot, "Uncle Zealot, do you think you'll ever find your parents?"

In his heart, Zealot wasn't so sure, but he answered to assure the children, "I know they're out there somewhere. I just have to find them."

Thunderclap suggested, "If you're feeling sad, maybe we can sleep with you tonight to make you feel better."

The stallion said, "How about _I_ sleep with _you all_? After all, former slaves have got to stick together."

The kids cheered in reply to his answer.

* * *

All was calm and peaceful as the residents of the fair island kingdom rested for the night. In that moment, everything was perfect.

And then that moment ended.

A night guard was patrolling the wall walk of the harbor fortress, always vigilant for any sign of trouble. He turned his attention towards the town when –

 _Boom! Zwii-FWOOOSH!_

He turned to see a splash of water just collapsing back into the ocean. He knew it wasn't usual because sea creatures didn't splash only once. He looked out towards the thickening mist accumulating almost a mile from the shore. Suddenly, a cannonball came flying out of the mist and hit the water several feet from the nearest ship. Then, three pirate ships materialized out of the fog, sailing towards Marendelle.

The guard ran towards the intercom pipe and shouted into it, "We're under attack! Sound the alarm!"

Moments after he alerted his comrades, the civil defense siren blared throughout the tiny kingdom. The royals woke up at the deafening sound and rushed out of their rooms.

Zealot opened the door of the children's bedroom and asked Apple Butter, "What is it?!"

Apple Butter shouted over the siren, "We're being attacked! Maybe the pirates came back for the kids! Stay here with them while we drive them off!" Without another word, she ran down the hall.

On the wall walk of the palace gates, the royals surveyed the situation with a couple of guards. Three black pirate ships shot their cannonballs at the anchored ships as well as the fortress. Although the fortress shot out cannonballs of their own, the projectiles mysteriously missed their targets.

One of the guards said, "We don't know how, but the enemy is taking out our ships while we're barely making a dent in theirs!"

Button Mash remarked, "Wow. Capri wasn't kidding when she said the pirates were protected by a powerful magic."

Little Button agreed, "Yeah. If the pirates aren't taking any damage from us, then it's no wonder Capri couldn't save the slaves from them."

Roller Blade gave a low whistle, "When your enemies have magic that's stronger than a draconequus's, you're practically beat."

Scootaloo said, "We're only beat if we don't stand up."

Rumble nodded, "She's right. And I have a plan."

Minutes later, a yellow force field wall just in front of the damaged ships shot up towards the sky. It stretched the harbor and its surrounding shore for about a mile.

While Screwball held up the force field, Rumble – who was near the harbor with the rest of his family – spoke into a megaphone, "Attention, idiots! This island is protected by three Guardians of Equestria and the royal family of Marendelle! If you know what's good for you, you'll leave this island and never return! Do I make myself clear?"

At that moment, a dim light flashed on the deck of one of the ships. After a few more tense moments, the ships began to turn around. Everypony waited anxiously as the ships retreated back into the fog. When the ships vanished in the mist, Screwball lifted her force field and everyone cheered.

Pip asked Rumble with amazement, "How did you know intimidation would work on them?"

Rumble answered with a smirk, "We've had them on the run for ten years. Of course they would be scared of getting arrested by the royal family of Marendelle."

Sweetie Belle contemplated, "Still, don't you think it's a bit odd that they would retreat like that? Something's not right."

Suddenly, Screwball's body twitched violently for a brief moment. She and her kin instantly knew that something was indeed wrong.

She cried as she ran to the castle, "Oddball!"

Apple Butter gasped, "Zealot!"

As AB followed Screwball and Mothball, the rest cried out, "The kids!"

The adults ran into the castle and up several hallways before they reached the children's bedroom. When Screwball opened the door, their worst fears had come true.

Apple Butter shrieked, "Oh! The children! And Zealot! They're gone!"

The bedroom was empty and in complete disarray. The beds had sooty hoofprints on them, the blankets were all mangled up, the window was shattered, and there were two halves of a small knockout shell on the floor. The moms wasted no time in searching the room for their young ones.

Snow Pea called out in a panicked tone, "Snowflake?!"

Bubble Gum likewise called out, "Lucky?!"

Apple Butter also called out, "Yona?!"

Sweetie Belle fretted tearfully, "Oh, they stole the children!"

Apple Bloom said, "We gotta get them back!"

Button slammed his hoof against the wall in frustration as he growled, "Those scoundrels! The ships were a diversion!"

Quill Scarlet decided to take action and raced out into the hallway. He told the guards who had followed them to the room, "Send out the guards! Send out the navy! We will not rest until the children and Zealot are found alive!"

As the guards carried out his orders, a light flurry started to descend upon Marendelle.

* * *

Minutes earlier in Canterlot, Celestia and Luna had just finished their royal duties for the day. Before Celestia could go to bed, she decided to visit the ballroom to reminisce on that wonderful night. It felt so surreal that the ballroom was just as polished and new as it was when Sombra first asked Celestia to dance. She felt as if he was still beside her, admiring the warm glow the candles emitted around the room. Celestia couldn't blame Sombra for being drawn to the light. After what he had been through, she was more than happy to give it to him.

"Sister?"

Celestia whipped her head back to see Luna standing in the doorway.

The dark blue alicorn said, "Dwelling on the past won't bring Sombra back."

Her older sister snapped in a voice coated with grief and hurt, "I miss him, okay?! Is that what you wanted me to say?!" When she realized what she said, she held her head on her wing and sighed, "I'm sorry. These last few weeks haven't been well for me."

Luna approached her and put her hoof on her shoulder, "I know. Losing Sombra has been hard for you. But know this: he wouldn't want you stuck in the past as you had when he was cursed. Nothing can change his absence this time. You must live in the present with your family and look forward to the day when you reunite with him in the afterlife. Every day, every month, every year will be rough without him, but as long as you have us – all of us – you can still live happily."

Celestia smiled with touched tears flowing down her face and embraced her sister, "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Suddenly, the candles snuffed out in one cold breeze and the double doors slammed shut. In that abrupt moment, shadowy creatures ambushed the two sisters. Luna and Celestia fought hard to keep them at bay, but the creatures' numbers soon overwhelmed them and the foul beasts bound them in tendrils of black goo. Some of the shadow demons clumped together to form a rising black smoke akin to fire. From this smoke appeared the image of a menacing black shadow pony with white eyes. The sisters, who were gagged, could do nothing but gasp at the return of their past foe.

The Pony of Shadows spoke through the smoke, "Why, sisters, so lovely to see you again. How is Star Swirl? Oh, wait. He's in exile, isn't he?"

The sisters grunted and shook in agitation.

"I had expected the brawl to take a little longer, but given your current state of mind, I find your sudden defeat to be a bit understandable. After all, when your husband died, I took it as the perfect opportunity to make my move. Naturally, I had to strike at your most vulnerable. Otherwise, you would've actually had a chance to defeat me."

Just then, the doors burst open to reveal two pony guards. They were about to charge when two black tendrils pinned them against the wall in the hallway.

"Don't try to be heroes. I have another purpose for you. Tell the whole world the Reign of Shadows is about to begin. _Adieu_."

Just like that, the shadows and their royal captives vanished into thin air. The shaken-up guards raced to the watchtower and told the sentry to sound the alarm. Just as he pressed the crystal for the Canterlot alarm, the crystal alarm for Marendelle began to wail. At the Everfree Castle, the cousins received the simultaneous sirens on their home alarm system and sent out alerts of their own to pass on the message. Once Ponyville received the alert to sound the sirens, the cacophony of the alarms sent the ponies into a frenzy. Soon, every town, city, and kingdom rang with dual alarms, letting everyone know that Canterlot and Marendelle were in dire peril.


	9. On the Way

The wails of the two alarms woke the entire kingdom of Applewood, from the most humble pony to the wealthy regent himself. The Canterlot family and guests spilled out of their rooms and congregated in the throne room.

Discord yawned, "Can someone please tell me what all the ruckus is?"

Pinkie nodded, "Yeah. Did someone forget to press the snooze button on a giant alarm clock?"

Canter Zoom clarified, "It's not an alarm _clock,_ Pinkie. It's the alarm _system_."

Twilight's eyes widened, "That means a city's in trouble!"

"Two, from what I hear."

Timber commented, "Whoa, that is bad! I wonder which two they are."

"We'll find out when the sentry arrives with the report."

Just as soon as the regent uttered those words, the guard arrived in the throne room.

He panted as he bowed, "Your Highnesses…I'm afraid it's Canterlot and Marendelle that are under threat."

The royals gasped at the revelation and the sisters began to fret about their family members.

Twilight ordered, "Discord, contact everyone in Canterlot, Marendelle, the Crystal Empire, the Everfree Kingdom, Maretonia, and Ponyville!"

Discord pouted, "My, aren't we the bossy one tonight?"

Fluttershy then pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, "Please?"

He blushed, "Well, when you put it that way…" When everyone else glared at him, he defended, "What? My sleep got cut short."

He snapped his fingers and conjured up a floating wall mirror that had a phone icon and the word "Calling…" in six different sections. Within a minute, almost everyone they were trying to contact answered. Everyone, except Luna and Celestia. Two guards had answered the call in their stead.

Mischief – who was accompanied by Flurry, Blaze, and Nova in the Castle of Friendship – asked, "So I assume this is a conference call?"

Skyla nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

Twilight asked the guards in a firm voice that also carried traces of dread, "Glimmering Shield, Golden Flight, where are Celestia and Luna?"

Glimmering Shield answered, "They've been captured, Your Grace."

The royals gasped once more, this time with more horror in their eyes.

Golden Flight explained, "It was the Pony of Shadows. He and his minions had them bound in black goo. We tried to rescue them, but he overwhelmed us. We are truly sorry, Your Highnesses."

Screwball spoke up on the Marendelle line, "The same thing happened to us! Pirates attacked us and kidnapped the kids and Zealot!"

Scootaloo said, "Poor Snow Pea is so worried sick, the entire island is being blanketed in snow."

Apple Jewel fretted on the Everfree line, "What are we going to do?"

Just then, something glowed behind the four Guardians on their line. The other five images shrunk while the one from the Castle of Friendship enlarged to widen the scope of view. The table the Guardians were now facing was glowing intensely with many floating images.

Shining Armor asked on the Crystal Empire line, "Well, what do you see?"

Blaze turned his head towards the mirror and apologized, "Oh, sorry."

He used his magic to position the mirror just above the wide holographic map. There was one group of images hovering over the Everfree Forest and another floating just over…

Twilight breathed, "The Gates of Tartarus."

Nova's voice spoke from offscreen, "That's right. Luna once told us about how Star Swirl had banished the Pony of Shadows to Tartarus with the Elements of Harmony before they broke."

Cannon Fire asked on the Maretonia line, "But how did he escape, then?"

Glimmering Shield added, "Oh, right. We forgot to mention one important detail: he was only an image when we saw him."

Everyone nodded and said, "Ah."

Sunset surmised, "So he must still be in Tartarus with Mom and Aunt Luna. The question is, why?"

Flash Sentry suggested, "Maybe he wants to exchange them for his freedom."

Twilight said, "Well, whatever his plan is, we should always be on our guard. He's very cunning and he'll pull the rug from under our hooves as soon as he gets the chance."

When Juniper noticed her cutie mark floating with Skyla's cutie mark and Blackthorn's image over the Everfree Forest, she cried, "Look! That's my cutie mark!"

Canter Zoom adjusted his glasses to get a better look. His eyes then widened as he exclaimed, "My gosh, that is!"

Skyla asked, "So that means she's coming with us to free Thicket?"

Blackthorn began to protest calmly, "With all due respect, princess, when we made our plans, we did not expect you to join us. Nor is it a good idea."

"Blackthorn, the Cutie Map doesn't lie."

Discord agreed, "She's right, you know. I learned that from being summoned to Las Pegasus to free Capri." He then continued with his teeth almost gritted in an annoyed expression, "So even though the map is sending me to _Tartarus_ when my _grandson_ is in danger again…" – his voice became a bit calmer – "…it's where I need to be."

Canter Zoom contemplated, "You know, if Juniper needs to be in the Everfree Forest, maybe she can learn a thing or two there." He then spoke to his niece, "Juniper, how about a deal?"

Neighsay groaned, "No, Sire. Not another deal."

He told his advisor, "It'll be a good one, I promise." He turned to Juniper and said, "If you come back to Applewood a responsible mare, you can have that cross-country trip you've always wanted to take."

Her eyes became starry with excitement, "I can?!"

"Uh-huh, but first, you have to prove that you are capable of building an alliance with the deer."

"But isn't this mission just about getting them out of the painting?"

Blackthorn said, "There is more to it than that, Your Grace. The deer are very solitary and very protective of their home and heritage. If there is to ever be trust between the deer and ponykind, one must make a good impression and use diplomacy delicately. That means keeping a cool head, choosing the right words, and empathizing with them."

Neighsay spoke up, "And I shall accompany the princess to teach her such matters."

Juniper facehoofed and groaned, "Nooo!"

Capri whispered to her in-laws, "Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

After much discussion, the Canterlot sisters and their husbands went back to Canterlot to keep the kingdom going. In the meantime, Twilight, Sunset, Discord, Cadance, her daughter Flurry Heart, Mischief, Blaze, and Nova set off on their mission to Tartarus. As for the group on Marendelle, they were going to stay on the island in the hopes of finding Zealot, the children, and maybe those rotten slavers who took them in the first place. The Everfree group – Skyla, Blackthorn, his deer guards, Juniper, Neighsay, and Virtue Mystique – were magically teleported by Capri to the Everfree Castle to meet up with the other cousins.

Inside the castle, Starling whispered, "You're going to have to be quiet. The kids are napping from the alarm scare last night."

Skyla nodded, "I think it was a hard night for us all."

Whirl Wind agreed, "No kidding, what with Grandma and Aunt Luna being taken to Tartarus and Zealot and the kids being kidnapped by pirates."

Gemstone pointed out, "I know all of Equestria is conducting search parties for them, but if the Pony of Shadows attacks or the pirates decide to invade a town or a kingdom, we'll need all the help we can get."

Virtue nodded, "Exactly. That's why I need to search for clues that will lead me to Mom and Dad's whereabouts. They have connections that will give us a needed advantage." She was careful not to mention the Rainbow-Eyes around Neighsay lest he spill those secrets to the rest of the world.

Pen Pusher added, "And freeing the deer will be very helpful."

Rootstock spoke up, "As well as getting in their good graces. Our kind is very wary towards outsiders. And since it was a pony who had trapped them in the painting, they won't take kindly to _any_ pony once they're free."

Blackthorn said in acknowledgment, "Then that's a risk we'll have to take."

* * *

After they sent Virtue, Juniper, and Neighsay to the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville, Blackthorn, his comrades, Skyla, and Capri ventured into the Everfree Forest to find the spot where Thicket had resided before.

Blackthorn ordered, "Here. Stop."

As expected, new growth had sprouted from the ground and overrun its surrounding environment. It was a giant patch of grass, flowers, and vines where Thicket had once stood.

"You know what to do," the captain of the guard told his comrades.

All of them nodded and opened the barrels on their collars. They trickled a magic potion over the plants and the wild growth gradually receded back into the ground.

When the patch was restored to the state it had been when Thicket first vanished, Blackthorn said to Skyla, "You'd best stay out of sight until we calm the king's temper enough for you to introduce yourself."

His fiancée nodded in understanding and stood behind the other deer guards.

He then turned to Capri and said, "Capri? It's time."

"Right." She was about to snap her fingers when –

"Whoa! Slow!" a voice rang out from behind the trees.

Everyone turned to see a massively sturdy zebra stallion with blood red eyes and stripes colored like fire emerge from the brush. This was certainly new. A zebra that was not black-and-white? Okay, there was white on him, but it looked more tinted towards yellow.

Blackthorn lit his antlers and asked in stern caution, "Who are you?"

The stranger replied, "Hold your fire, botanical spell caster. You may not know me, but the family of the Everfree Kingdom knows my master."

Skyla asked in confusion, "Your master?"

Another voice spoke up, "Indeed, it is me."

Skyla's mouth dropped open as she saw an elderly zebra emerge behind the stallion. Even though she had long gray hair and a simple white gown, the princess recognized the zebra anywhere.

She breathed, "Zecora? I-I can't believe it's been so long."

Zecora merely chuckled, "You were busy with your life as I was with mine. Don't worry about my health. I'm doing quite fine."

Capri asked, "So who's the new guy here? Is he with you?"

The stallion answered, "Forgive me if by my appearance you were fazed. I am a pyromancer by the name of Braze."

Arbutus, one of the deer guards, asked, "A pyromancer? You conjure and control fire?"

He nodded, "Yes, it is my special gift. But a long time ago, I was a misfit. Since I was as hotheaded as my flame, I used my talent recklessly and without shame. When into my life Zecora came, both my abilities and my temper she did tame."

Zecora smiled, "His vast improvement filled me with much pride and bliss, but when I saw his potential, I decided to make him my apprentice."

Skyla said, "Oh, that's wonderful!"

Braze gestured towards the group, "What about you all? Do you have a tale?"

Blackthorn nodded, "Yes, but we'd like to make it quick."

"Then tell us only the important details."

After a while, Blackthorn and Skyla finished explaining the story of the portrait.

Braze turned to his teacher and said, "It's just as I suspected. The painting is enchanted."

Zecora instructed him, "Get the necessary instruments for freeing the deer of their entrapment." As soon as Braze left, she explained to the group, "Capri can't snap her fingers nonchalantly, for the deer must be released delicately. The spell may be over 60 years old, but it must be powerful for it to still hold. It suspends all time and alters physics for the subjects the painting contains. Without a smooth transition, I fear freeing them so quickly will cause untold strain."

Capri asked, "Such as?"

"There could be irreversible warping of the mind, and perhaps damage to the body will be just as unkind."

"So it's basically conjecture."

"Conjecture, yes, but testing it would be unwise. So, letting my student do this task, I strictly advise."

Blackthorn turned to Skyla and she nodded. He then said to Zecora, "If my princess trusts you, wise zebra, then so shall we."

It didn't take long for Braze to return with a piece of parchment, a wooden easel, and a drum from the Zebra Lands.

He told the group, "These are all the items we need, but please step a few feet away so I can do the deed."

The others did as he instructed and they stood at the edge of the treeline. Braze then placed the portrait upon the easel and sat down on the ground behind it. He looked at the parchment one more time before picking up his drum. He beat at it with his hoof while chanting a spell in his native tongue. Just after he performed the spell, green and gold sparkles hovered over the portrait. A golden light then began to radiate from the painting, gradually growing until it became blinding.

Everyone covered their eyes for a few seconds until the light started to die down. To their utter astonishment, they saw the beautiful city of Thicket and its released denizens right before their eyes! The deer guards were understandably overcome with emotion and the deer that had been freed were understandably confused. To the citizens, it all seemed to happen within the span of a few seconds, with a blinding light between the separate views. They shot their heads in all directions as if trying to grasp what had just happened.

King Aspen, a tall white deer who was wearing a golden necklace with a heart-shaped ruby, began to ask, "What just –" His eyes then fell upon Braze, Capri, and the deer guard. He was concerned about the presence of other creatures, but he calmly asked his captain of the guard, "Blackthorn? What has happened here? Who are they?"

Blackthorn asked cautiously, "Do you remember the last thing you saw before the bright light?"

His eyes darted as he tried to remember what happened, "Yes. There was a…stallion. A unicorn stallion. He dared to approach the city gates and paint something on his easel. We grew alarmed and concerned, so I with my son and court ventured outside to see what the trespasser was up to. But then…" He then realized something and looked at the now-empty portrait. He angrily activated his magic and struck the item, tearing it asunder. As he began to calm down, he asked Blackthorn in a voice still traced with anger, "How long were we trapped?"

He answered, "Over 60 years, my king."

Aspen let out a gritted grunt before he said, "That devil-hearted son of a –"

"Majesty!" Blackthorn scolded him. "Your son is present!"

When he turned his gaze towards his son, the king's face softened. "Forgive me for my crude language, my son. To learn that we have been gone for so many years…" He lowered his head in revulsion, "It infuriates and sickens me." He lifted his head again and asked the group in front of him, "Who was it that freed us?"

Braze stepped forward and put his hoof on his chest, "'Twas I, Your Grace, who returned you all to your rightful place."

Aspen nodded, "We thank you, noble zebra." He then turned his head to see Capri. Though his nose slightly turned up in disgust, he asked as impassively as he could manage, "And who might you be?"

Capri bowed as she answered, "Capri, Your Highness. From the Ancient Lands."

Aspen had a distrustful look in his eyes. "Ah, yes. A draconequus. We know of your kind from the stories creatures tell about them. Tricksters, deceivers. Willing to play some kind of game on an innocent bystander."

Though she was offended, Capri tried to assure him with a fake smile, "Your Majesty, you need not worry. I am only here to help."

"Oh, really?" the king replied in a doubtful tone. "Then tell me there are no tricks up your sleeve."

Suddenly, they all heard a high-pitched sneeze. To avoid raising Aspen's suspicion, one of the deer guards gave a fake sneeze and said, "Oh, excuse me! It must be the light in my eyes. That sometimes happens."

When the mysterious sneeze happened again, Aspen narrowed his eyes and ordered the guards in a low tone, "Part."

With nervous expressions on their faces, the guards parted and revealed Skyla, who was just as anxious as they were.

Aspen exclaimed in a soft but sharp voice, "A pony!"

Blackthorn tried to reason with the king, "Your Highness, she is with us. She helped us find the portrait the city was trapped in. She comes in peace."

Aspen gave a dubious glare towards her and remained silent for a few moments. Everyone was tense, worrying that his reaction might not turn out so well. The king then responded, "Very well. What is your name?"

Skyla bowed and answered, "I am Princess Skyla of the Crystal Empire. We gave the guard a home in the years Thicket was…absent from the Everfree Forest. We only wish to be in your good graces, my king."

"And that means forging an alliance with Thicket?"

"Well…yes. There may be a threat rising in Equestria and we're going to need all the help we can get."

Aspen stated, "The deer do not get involved in the affairs of others. We are perfectly capable of protecting our home."

Capri scoffed, "Ha! Says the deer who was stuck in a painting for over 60 years."

He snapped at her in a stern voice, "I'll hear no more snide remarks from you, draconequus!" He then sighed and continued, "But…it is true. If we got captured and held prisoner for almost a century, then perhaps an alliance with the Crystal Empire would be wise. Very well. We shall host you during your visit here, Princess Skyla."

Skyla smiled and thanked the king, "I graciously accept your invitation, Sire. Thank you."

"And what of you, zebras? Would you like to accompany us?"

Zecora answered, "Thank you for the offer, my king, but no. Back to our abode we must now go."

He nodded, "I understand." He then turned to Capri with a disapproving glare on his face. "As for you, however…Your comments have not found favor with me. Henceforth, you will be banished from the Everfree Forest unless it is decided that the ban shall be lifted."

Capri said in an annoyed tone, "Well, you could've just said 'You're not welcome here'. Fine. I know when I'm not wanted." With that, she snapped her lizard claw and disappeared in a flash.

* * *

 _I'm here again. I can't believe I'm here again. I thought I was free, safe from them._

Zealot just sat in his cell as a number of emotions brewed inside his head and heart. Among those emotions were disbelief, astonishment, anger, fear, and sorrow. The Young Six were also stunned by their capture. They were actually free for a day or two until their perfect paradise was abruptly taken away. At this point, they didn't know whether to continue fighting or just give up entirely.

The royal children, quivering in their cell, were understandably frightened about their situation. What was going to happen to them? What if their mommies and daddies don't come and save them? Will they ever be free again? Unfortunately for Thunderclap, Snowflake, and Oddball, they couldn't break free of their chains. As with Smolder, Yona, and Ocellus, their chains easily constrained any unique abilities they had such as super strength. Despite having each other as company, the royal children felt completely helpless and utterly alone.

Just then, the door above the stairs opened and the wicked face of a scurrilous pirate smiled in sadism. He singsonged, "We're here."

 ** _AN: As before, I sincerely apologize for the long hiatuses. Thank you very much for your patience and I hope to update much more frequently now that I'm part of NaPoWriMo._**

 ** _The spell Braze uses to free Thicket and its inhabitants is the same one Mateo uses in_** **Elena and the Secret of Avalor** ** _. I was going to add the words, but I didn't know what the correct spelling was._**

 ** _As for Braze himself, he's from the chapter book_** **Rainbow Dash and the Daring Do Double Dare.** ** _I know he was more of a villain in that book, but since he is another zebra, I decided to make him Zecora's apprentice._**


	10. Isle of the Lost

**_AN: The tweaked song here is "Marketplace" from_** **Joseph: King of Dreams.**

 ** _As for any grammatical errors in the pirates' speech, please know that it's deliberate. ;)_**

 ** _One more thing: I know what I said about the chains preventing anyone from using their unique abilities, but there's a loophole. The enslaved can't use their abilities except when ordered to by their masters._**

Soon after, five pirates led Zealot and the children off the pirate ship and onto the foggy island where they landed. They walked for a minute or two before the walls of a great fortress began to focus into view. As the gigantic double doors opened, Zealot's breath caught when he saw numerous slaves and their overseers amidst a maze of buildings within the compound. The children winced and gasped when a few of the exhausted workers were whipped by their disgusting masters.

As the pirates walked their captives to the center building, the former group sang, _"Behold the glory…Behold the wonder…What we have made shall not be torn asunder…Such vast achievement, yet so onerous…That's why we have slaves who never raise a fuss…Thing of majesty…this well-guarded isle…Its long history…no one dare defile…"_

When the pirates and their captives arrived at their destination, they entered the building and saw several lines of downtrodden ponies waiting at their registration tables.

The portly pirate escorting the captives groaned, "This will take forever."

The tall pirate reassured him, "I got an easy solution." He whistled and shouted out, "Oy! Captured royals here! We got captured royals here! Stand aside! Stand aside!"

The slavers nearest to the group soon pulled their line of slaves away from their registration table. The pirates proudly walked by with their new arrivals in tow and came up to the table.

The middle-aged record keeper widened his eyes and remarked, "Noname! Fancy meeting you here again!" He then taunted him, "What's the matter? Weren't good enough for the infamous Hoofbeard? Or did the old scallywag up and –" He made a _KRRRIK s_ ound while sliding his hoof across his throat.

As the record keeper chuckled at his own dark joke, the pirate with the crooked smile spoke up, "We found him in the Marendelle palace with the children…including these ruffians." He pulled on the Young Six's chains, causing some of them to yelp in pain.

The record keeper chortled, "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" He turned to Zealot and said, "So you be a palace servant now, eh? A palace servant helping to harbor six runaway slaves, no less! Well, here's my message to the royal family." He spit on Zealot, causing the children to grimace in disgust. He then asked the captors, "I take it Noname is to be sent to the captain's stable, the fresh meat to the inspection area, and these six troublemakers to the torture chamber?"

The bearded pirate nodded, "Got it in one."

The record keeper quickly wrote on a piece of paper and then set the quill down. "There. Every slave is recorded. You may continue with your business as you will."

Before the buff, mute pirate could take the Young Six away, Zealot called out, "Wait! Take me instead!"

The portly pirate chuckled scornfully, "Ha! You would take the punishments meant for them?"

Zealot did his best to stand tall as he nodded, "Yes. I would."

The pirate with the crooked smile said gladly, "As you wish, Your Majesty!"

As the muscled pirate led Zealot away, the children began to protest. Their resistance was so strong that the pirates struggled to pull them towards their designated areas.

When Zealot and the large pirate reached the torture chamber, the slavers who were there wasted no time in subjecting the prince to the various torture methods meant for the Young Six. They did not hesitate to whip him, zap him, and even beat him. As Zealot suffered at their hooves, the slavers sang, _"Serve and be silent…you who are chattel…We think of you as little more than cattle…This is your lot now and we advise you…to bow before whatever master buys you…_

 _"_ _Feel the power here…Power has its price…Some can live like gods…Some must sacrifice…Through the centuries…many backs have bent…Many dreams are built…Many lives are spent!"_

"Get in line!"

The children were still protesting and crying by the time they arrived at the inspection area. The slave drivers struggled to pull them up the platform and arrange them in single file. But even then the children still writhed and fought against their would-be masters.

"Looks like we got a whiny bunch here, gents," one of the slave drivers told his colleagues.

Grunt – the griffon – responded, "I'll soon fix that." He then gave a mighty shout, "QUIET!"

 _CRACK!_

Grunt's sharp voice and the crack of his whip quickly scared the kids into submissive silence.

Another slave driver smiled, "That's more like it. Now let's see what we got here." He came up to Aerodynamic first. "And what are you supposed to be?"

She began to answer, "I'm a po-AAH!"

The stallion who slapped her said, "No speaking unless you're spoken to!"

Aerodynamic wanted to say something about that, but decided against it.

A slaver then grabbed her wings and mocked, "These are very big wings. Maybe she's another freak like our bird horse!"

The stallions and griffon laughed raucously while the royal kids scowled at their cruel joke.

One of the slave drivers suggested, "They could be used as big fans or shade in hot weather."

Another stallion proceeded to flap Dyna's wing close to his face. He sighed, "Ahh, yeah. This is the stuff."

The slave drivers then inspected Oddball next. They laughed at his strange appearance, not refraining from openly calling him "a freakier freak than the last one". Needless to say, this did not please Oddball one bit.

Grunt then asked him in a mocking tone, "What kind of magic can you do, wittle guy?"

Oddball answered, "Chaos and changeling magic."

He chuckled, "Oh, really? Show us."

The colt smiled mischievously, "Gladly."

He aimed his magic at Grunt's face, rearranging his eyes and beak like a Pinto-Picasso painting. The slave drivers laughed at his trick.

One stallion remarked, "This kid's great! He'll sure make good entertainment!"

Grunt, however, found this less than amusing. Due to the condition of his face, he could only grunt his disapproval and his plea to look normal again.

Another stallion chuckled, "All right. Fun's over, kid. Change him back."

Oddball simply said, "No."

The slave driver's tone lowered to convey his firmness, "Now." When Oddball didn't reply, the stallion's voice sharpened, "Now!"

 _CRACK!_

The business end of the whip stung Oddball's shackled hoof and left a thin wound with a growing red bruise bordering it.

The jokester slave driver snarled at him, "That'll teach you to behave, scum."

Though he was close to crying, Oddball scowled and begrudgingly returned Grunt's face to normal.

The slave drivers then inspected Snowflake until one of them said, "Look! He's got a snowflake cutie mark!"

Another suggested, "Well, maybe he can summon snow." He then asked Snowflake, "How about it? Can you create snow?"

Snowflake merely nodded, afraid that saying something would get him in trouble.

A third slaver said, "Excellent! He can make us snow cones whenever we want! Free snow cones on the house!"

The slave drivers cheered.

Meanwhile, the slave drivers escorting Zealot took him to Flog's private stable. Zealot was exhausted and in so much pain. Until now, he could only imagine what his mother went through for him whenever she took the punishment for her son. He had tried to escape a few times as a child, but he stopped once his mother took a severe punishment in his place. Even then, that did not stop the slavers from punishing the both of them whenever Zealot accidentally displeased his masters. At this point, Zealot wondered – even dared to hope – if his mother was still alive out there. If she was, he knew that she'd be both worried about his state of health and proud that he protected innocent children from the slave drivers' wrath.

As the slave drivers threw cold water and then white powder on Zealot, they sang, _"Look and be humbled…Learn what your place is…A lifelong slave no matter what your race is…This is your future, your life suspended…and everything you knew before has ended…"_

After they attached a pronged collar onto Zealot's abdomen, they chained his shackled hooves to the nails driven into the ground. Zealot also had a muzzle to which the slave drivers attached a shorter chain to another nail, thus forcing the prince to hang his head low to the ground.

As this happened, the slave drivers sang, _"You are all ours now…We have all control…from your every step to your very soul…"_

A portly stallion with a semi-toothless grin came up to Zealot with a red-hot branding iron. He singsonged, "Say 'bye-bye' to your cutie mark."

"Stop!" a gaunt stallion commanded as he stood at the entryway of the stable. He then smiled maliciously, "The captain said to leave it untouched to serve a painful reminder for what he's lost."

The slave drivers chuckled in wickedness and left Zealot alone in the stable. It was silent for only a few moments before he heard a familiar voice, a voice he never wanted to hear again.

"Welcome back, Noname. How was the sweet life?"

Because of the muzzle, Zealot couldn't lift his head high enough to see Captain Flog. However, his peripheral vision confirmed that it was indeed the hated pirate.

Zealot asked, "Where are the children?"

"In the Fresh Meat area. We haven't had new arrivals in so long. I can imagine how excited my boys must be."

"And the others?"

"In the cells to serve their time for escaping again." Flog then chuckled, "Come to think of it, this was the longest they had eluded my grasp. I commend them for finding _temporary_ sanctuary. But what about you? Did they imprison Hoofbeard and free you so you could be their nanny?"

Zealot snarled, "You know nothing about me."

"Oh?"

"I am a prince of Marendelle now. And rest assured, Flog, my family will come looking for me, and when they do, your heinous empire will be no more."

Flog laughed in amusement, "'Heinous'? You're using big words now! They must've really gotten to you. As for your presumptions, you are wrong in two ways. One, Coltavo Island is protected by a strong magic that prevents anyone outside the slave trade from finding it. And two, I wouldn't be so sure about your family's loyalties. After all, you were just a lowly colt when I sold you off. Why should some blue-blooded yuppies search for somepony not of their kind?"

Zealot knew Flog was wrong. He hadn't been with the royal family for long, but the stories they told him and their dedication proved to Zealot time and again that they truly cared about their family, even the members who were only married into it. Their deeds gave him hope and the will to stay strong for the kids.

The pirate gave an evil smirk and a chuckle, "Heh. You'll see, Zealot. If they find you, it'll be many years later. If they do, they will forget that you were one of them."

Zealot scowled, for he knew that his family would never stop searching for him and the children, even if they had to spend an eternity doing so. Then, he got an idea.

Before Flog could leave, Zealot called out, "Wait! If you ransom me and the children, they'll pay you a hefty sum of gold just to get us back!"

"Nice try, but no. Had you made that offer ten years ago, I would've jumped on it. However, since your little family has soldiers hunting us down, we're reduced to only a few strong ships and our last hidden hideouts. If we reveal ourselves, they would sooner run us into the ground than pay a handsome ransom. But…I'm sure someone of less-noble morality would pay an equally-large price for a captive prince."

Flog laughed maliciously at this as he left the stable and Zealot in it.


	11. Not What They Seem

There they were…the Gates of Tartarus. That dreadful entrance into what many called the hellhole where evil resided. Only few ponies dared to march past the gates and managed to return unscathed. Those who were less fortunate either emerged with their bodies and/or minds altered, or never came back at all. It was enough to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of anyone's heart. The rescue party was certainly brave, but they were far from fearless. They knew danger lurked behind those gates and there was a good chance they might not all make it out. Still, they were willing to try, for the sake of Equestria…and their family.

Blaze, feeling a little intimidated, asked the team, "I know we're supposed to do this, but if you could back out, would you?"

Everyone but Discord responded, "Nay."

Discord raised his hand and said, "Aye."

Everyone glared at him, causing him to smile sheepishly.

He told them, "Well, it's not too late to back out now! I'll just let you guys take care of business and –"

Cadance firmly spoke, "Discord, the Cutie Map sent us here. We're all going in together."

Nova Rose cleared her throat, "So, *ahem*…who's going first?"

Twilight stepped forward and said resolutely, "I will. I'll open the door and make sure the coast is clear."

Just then, the right door creaked open a bit.

Mischief, clearly disturbed by what he saw, said quickly, "Or the door could just open by itself with no malicious intent at all."

Blaze told his colleagues, "Don't you see?! This is just like a horror film! Someone goes in a dark, creepy corner and they don't come out again! It's usually the funny man that goes first so the characters don't have something to cheer them up."

Discord sighed as he put on a polka-dotted bow tie, "I suppose that would be me, then."

As he flashed three yards in front of the gates, Nova Rose whispered worriedly, "No, wait, Discord! What are you doing?!"

He turned towards the group and explained, "Well, it's like Blaze said: the funny man goes first. Hence, I'm going first." He was about to approach the doors until he said uneasily, "Eh…Want me to tell one last joke before I go in?"

Sunset deadpanned, "That was it."

He sputtered, "What? That wasn't even – RRURRGH! Fine!"

He muttered agitatedly as he walked towards the gates. Fear started to replace his anger as he got nearer to the doors. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the massive and eerie entrance. He gulped in nervousness before he crept forward.

As he put his paw on the right door and started opening it a bit more, he sang softly, _"Sneaking 'round the corner…"_

Suddenly, an unseen force sucked him in.

"AAAHH!"

The team gasped at the abrupt development. The Guardians were about to rush to the gates when Twilight outstretched her wings to block them.

"Hold on!" she instructed. "It could be a trick."

Discord's voice rang out from the inside, "IN WHAT UNIVERSE WOULD I PLAY A TRICK THAT INVOLVES BEING SUCKED INTO _TARTARUS_?!"

Twilight facehoofed as she corrected, "Not you! The Pony of Shadows!"

Sunset called out, "Can you get out?!"

Discord's answer came, "NO! TELL FLUTTERSHY, SCREWBALL, AND ODDBALL I LOVE THEM! I SHOULD PROBABLY MENTION MOTHBALL, TOO! HE'S LIKE THE SON I NEVER HAD! OR…WELL, MISCHIEF IS THAT MORE. BUT MY POINT IS -"

Twilight shouted, "Okay, okay! We're coming!"

As the team charged towards the gates, Blaze said dramatically, "Goodbye, sunshine! Goodbye, plants! Goodbye, Nova! I will always love you!"

Nova Rose snapped, "I'm coming with you, idiot!"

Just as suddenly as Discord was sucked in, so too were the rest of the team pulled in abruptly against their will. When there was no one left outside, the door shut with a loud clank. When everypony recovered from the adrenaline rush, they could feel the cold air hanging over the place of despair. Lonely colors of cyan and threatening colors of dark magenta gave Tartarus its jarring appearance. The jagged rocks and crystal outcrops made it feel alien and desolate. The very depth of the prison seemed to go on forever with no end in sight. In here, the team had to watch their every step.

"All right, let's go over the plan again," Twilight said. "We find the Royal Sisters, stop the Pony of Shadows, find a way out, and go home."

Discord remarked sarcastically, "Stellar plan! Let's hope there are absolutely no hitches at all."

Flurry Heart asked Cadance, "Mom, do you have Grandma's sister bracelet?"

Cadance then pulled out a bracelet with blue and violet beads. "Right here."

Sunset pulled out a bracelet comprising yellow, orange, and pink beads. "I got Mom's."

Twilight then levitated the bracelets to her. "Great. Now we just need to put a tracking spell on them." She enveloped the jewelry in a bright glow for about a few moments.

Nova Rose asked, "So, how long do you think it'll take to find them?"

Suddenly, the bracelets were encased in red and cyan auras and they flew upwards until they fell into the hooves of two pony silhouettes standing on a cliff.

"One second," a familiar voice said slyly.

The silhouettes stepped out of the shadows and the team could see a tall whitish alicorn in orange and yellow armor and a shorter, darker alicorn with blue armor. When the two lifted their heads, their fanged smiles and hellish eyes sent shockwaves through the group, who instantly recognized them.

Blaze breathed, "No way."

Nightmare Moon smiled, "Well, well, well, well, well. The rescue party's finally here, Daybreaker."

Daybreaker then grinned evilly, "Yes, they have…12 hours too late."

Cadance said with a hint of despair in her voice, "It can't be."

Nightmare Moon chuckled before she responded, "Oh, but it can be, and it is."

Daybreaker flaunted her mane as she stated, "We got new styles and a few new toys –" her voice then soured "- that will end the notion of 'happily ever after' ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

Mischief then spoke, "Whoa, whoa! Hold on there!" He added in a cheesy yet uneasy tone to try to appeal to her empathy, "You know Sombra wouldn't want –"

The alicorn's fiery mane flared up into a column as she shouted, "Don't ever mention that lowlife worm AGAIN!"

When her magic knocked Mischief off his hooves, the rescue party got ready to defend themselves while Flurry raced to her husband's side.

Nightmare Moon told them, "You'll soon realize that life isn't a fairy tale like you paint it."

Daybreaker said in a mock-sweet tone, "Speaking of fairy tales, I just _love_ that part where the maiden rides off into the sunset –" her voice then morphed into a snarl "- with everyone she ever loved _still with her_."

Nightmare Moon then jumped down from the cliff as she sang, _"That's right, we lived the story over and over again…Gee, it's swell to finally make some darker friends…"_

Daybreaker sang as she taunted the group by messing with them, _"That's right, we lived the story, don't really like how it ends...Gee, it's swell to finally make some darker friends…"_ She then breathed out a wall of fire that surrounded the team.

Cadance sang, _"What did the fiend say to you? What did he say?"_

Nova Rose sang, _"What did the fiend do to you? What did he do?"_

Twilight sang, _"Did he play mind games on you? What did he play?"_

Daybreaker sang before lunging at them, _"Don't you get it? Our time as good girls is officially through!"_

The sisters sang as they apprehended the group with tendrils of magic and pulled them together, _"Oh, that's right we lived the story over and over again…"_ They then leapt back onto the cliff as they finished, _"Gee, it's swell to finally make some darker friends…"_

The group groaned as they recovered from the sisters' attack.

Blaze grunted, "They're running circles around us!"

Discord scowled, "I'm rusty. Give me a break!"

Flurry asked Twilight in worry, "Aunt Twilight, what are we going to do? They've been corrupted!"

Nightmare Moon snickered, "Did you hear that, sister? They think we've been corrupted!"

The evil sisters laughed wickedly at this.

Daybreaker sang in a tone that suggested the idea of corruption was ridiculous, _"Corrupted? Corrupted? What are you even saying?"_ She then grew angry as she sang, _"I'm the loser of the game of life everyone is playing!"_

Nightmare Moon sang, _"Let's play another game, this time we get to win…"_

As she sang the verse, she and Daybreaker conjured up two small sticks that each had a disk: one resembled the sun (Daybreaker) and the other resembled the crescent moon (NMM).

When the sticks elongated into staffs, Daybreaker sang, _"Lives on the line…"_

NMM sang as the sun's rays spun into a ring of red light and an irregularly-shaped disk of purple light emerged from the moon disk to complete the circle, _"Winner takes all…"_

The sisters spun their scythes as they sang, _"Ready or not…Let's begin!"_

Daybreaker sang as she and her sister continually lunged at the group and swung the scythes, _"Oh, that's right we lived the story over and over again…Gee, it's swell to finally beat our former friends…"_

As the sisters circled around the group and created fire and smoke in their wake, NMM sang, _"Oh, that's right we lived the story, don't really like how it ends…Gee, it's swell to finally beat our former…"_

Daybreaker sang as the sisters hovered high above the chaos, _"Former…"_

Both sisters sang as they swooped in for the kill, _"Former…"_

 _SWING!_

 _"_ _Friends…"_

In one strike, the sisters wounded their enemies. However, the heroes' wounds were not like regular wounds, but rather made of light. Those struck by the Sun Scythe had a wound of red light while the wounds left by the Moon Scythe glowed purple light. Before any of them could react, they disappeared in puffs of smoke.

 _POOF-POOF-POOF!_

* * *

Everyone groaned from their newfound dizziness and blurry vision when they came to.

Nova Rose mumbled, "What…happened to us?"

Twilight gave a small grunt as she slowly stood up, "It has something to do with those scythes. I don't know what they did to us, but they did something."

When Blaze regained his senses, his eyes shrunk in shock. "Something like sending us deep into Tartarus?"

After the others could function properly again, they saw that he was right. They were in a new area, one much darker and more foreboding. The mist at their hooves added to the ominous atmosphere. Suddenly, there was an assortment of unearthly sounds such as crazed laughter and moans of despair. This freaked out the rescue party more than they thought they would be.

Flurry suggested, "Maybe we're in the prison area."

Discord nodded uneasily, "Yes. That's most certainly it."

To everyone's surprise, a loud voice cut through the air. "SILENCE!"

All seemed to be quiet again and the group anxiously looked around for the source of the shout.

Sunset spoke up, "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"As you wish," came the reply.

At that moment, a cage appeared amidst blue rocks high in the silhouette of a spire. The heroes could not see the figure within the cage, but they cautiously tread up the path on the spire to the prison cell. Even as they edged closer to the cage, they still couldn't see the figure, whose silhouette suggested his back was turned.

The figure said, "I know what those scythes did to you."

Cadance said in a serious tone, "Then tell us."

"They were created to disable teleportation. The effects of such a scythe prevent you from traveling at all, but if one's emotions are strong, they can teleport themselves to a random place. As for the one who has the scythe, they can control where you'll end up when they strike you."

Mischief asked, "How do you know that?"

"Because…" he turned to face them, "I created them."

The group was stunned to see that it was none other than the treacherous Grogar, with an evil smirk on his face.

Blaze accused him, "So you're the one who corrupted Celestia and Luna!"

"I have only a small part in the grand scheme of the Pony of Shadows, and that was supplying him with the blueprints for the scythes. I will be free in my own time, and it will be then that I shall conquer all of Equestria."

Discord scoffed, "Ha! Fat chance of that, you old goat."

Grogar growled, "RRGH! That insipid nickname has persisted all these years. I am a ram, the most powerful ram in the history of the world. Now, I suppose you want to tell me your names. No need." He then pulled out from behind him a crystal ball that oddly looked like Arimaspi's eye. "I have seen your lives through my crystal ball. I know everything that's happened in your lives…" He then gave a sinister grin, "…including the death of your father." He continued in mock-disappointment, "Such a shame, really. I was looking forward to dueling him one last time…but I suppose his offspring will do."

Sunset glowered at him, "You can try, but we will stop you in the end."

"You are too much like your upright mother. Twilight Sparkle, on the other hoof, has the same potential as her father once did before he turned on me."

Twilight determinedly stated, "You will never corrupt me, not like how you almost corrupted Sombra."

Grogar gave a hearty laugh before he said, "I never corrupted Sombra. He did that himself."

Everyone was concerned and a little confused at this information.

Sunset asked, "What do you mean?"

The ram explained, "You know the story of King Iron Hoof, the first king of the Kingdom of Canterlot?"

Nova Rose recited the story, "He fell in love with a mysterious seductress. They never married, but they had a son named Greystreak. When Greystreak became of age to sit on the throne, he was overthrown and exiled by Arimaspi so he –"

"Stop. Only one of those events is accurate. He was exiled by Arimaspi, but the monster didn't overthrow him. That was the ponies' doing. His subjects turned on him because they were frightened of his powers. I never rejected those powers when I saw them in his son when he first came to Canterlot hundreds of years later. The kingdom may have been Sombra's birthright, but the magic he fought against was also his birthright."

Twilight breathed in dread, "What?"

"You see, when he bit the golden apple, he didn't wish to be restored. He wished to become a full pony like his grandfather had been. Lilyth was no ordinary mistress. She was an Umbrum."

Everyone's eyes shrunk in raw shock.

Sunset could barely bring herself to speak, "Then…that means…"

Grogar smiled and nodded, "Yes. Greystreak was Umbrum-born. So too was Sombra and so too are you and so too will future generations. No matter how many branches your family tree will grow, that tiny sliver of Umbrum magic will always be there, flowing through your veins."

Twilight's head was spinning and her heartbeats thundered in her chest. That couldn't be right! Good was good! Evil was evil! How could her father be so inherently altruistic while inheriting such dark magic? Did that mean he was truly evil on the inside? Did that mean she was, too? "No…It's not true…That's impossible!"

Grogar told her, "Remember the curse your father was inflicted with? It was never meant to instill darkness. It was to bring it out."

Twilight suddenly had a revelation. If Sombra had evil inside him all along, that would explain why Sombra stole Starlight's phoenix when his wife grew ill. If he committed that atrocity before she was born, how many more could he have done before he married her mother? Twilight's eyes started welling up with tears and she abruptly ran down the spire.

Sunset cried as she chased after her twin, "Twilight, wait!"

The others ran after the two until they reached the ground. It was then that the amber unicorn concentrated very hard on her magic and managed to teleport a few feet in front of her sister.

"Twilight!" she pleaded. When her sister passed her by, Sunset turned and shouted, "TWILIGHT, STOP!"

The queen whipped her body around as she answered very angrily, "NO! HE LIED TO US! HE LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING!" Her horn unconsciously sent a small shockwave that sent Sunset and the others a few inches away. Her voice then became laced with betrayal, "He held our hooves, looked us right in the eyes, and told us to never question who we are as princesses! We never questioned ourselves, or him!"

Sunset tried to calm her, "We couldn't have known!"

"No! _You_ couldn't have known! You never grew up with us in the palace! You never knew our father!"

The last sentence stung Sunset's heart more than any insult ever could. It also fed her doubts and fears about not belonging with her family. She breathed in a hurt tone, "Twilight…"

Twilight, little realizing how she affected Sunset, continued her tirade. "But we never looked into him! We trusted him. We let him make fools of us all!"

As her twin started to run off again, Sunset chased after her, pleading more earnestly, "Twilight, wait!"

Mischief was about to go after them. "Guys!" He was stopped when Cadance stretched out her wing to block him and she shook her head.

When Twilight stopped again, Sunset told her, "Please! Let's just stay calm and talk about this! Let's just talk."

Twilight responded as a tear rolled down her cheek and her horn began to glow, "Talk about what? How our whole heritage was based on a lie? What else is there to say?" In a flash, she was out of sight.

Sunset slumped to the ground and began to weep.

Blaze ran to her side and breathed, "Mom."

No one dared to speak, not even Discord. The revelation about Sombra had rocked them to the core.

Nova Rose said, "We need to find Twilight before the sisters and the Pony of Shadows do."

Discord answered, "Well, let me see if the rest of my magic is working properly."

He was about to snap his fingers when suddenly, black goo erupted from the ground and encased his talon. The others turned around to see this happen. In a split second, another column of black goo erupted and encased his lion paw.

When more tendrils of black goo quickly wrapped around his torso, he shouted, "HELP ME!"

Before anyone could act, he was sucked into the ground and had virtually disappeared.

Blaze commented in a stunned tone, "What do you know? The funny guy _did_ go first."

Nova and Mischief chastised him, "Shut up!"

Cadance told the remainder of the group, "Okay, we need to split up and search for Twilight and Discord." When she turned her head, she saw Sunset Shimmer heading off on her own. "Sunset, come back! We need to stick together!"

" _You guys_ can stick together. _I'm_ going to look for Twilight. She's my twin."

Blaze said, "There's gotta be a more plausible reason than that!"

Sunset's voice became sterner, "I'm doing this alone! No one is to follow me! Understand?!

When there was no protest, Sunset was about to go off again when Blaze said, "Mom? I love you."

Her face softened as she replied, "Love you, too, kiddo." Without another word, she left the group and ran into the unknown.

 ** _AN: Thank you, "School Raze", for the introduction of Tartarus! Though it wasn't all that much…Still, I made do with what I had._**

 ** _The song featured in this chapter is "Other Friends" from_** **Steven Universe: The Movie.**

 ** _So, you know how CN12 made a point about Twilight's royal ancestry in_** **The Phoenix Tear** ** _? You may think what Grogar says in this chapter is a continuity snag, but I promise this will all be explained in Foxhelm's spinoff about Sombra's early years. Don't worry, he has my permission._**

 ** _By the way, the story about Sombra's family line is the product of Foxhelm's and my collaboration. Half of the credit goes to him. More to be explored in the spinoff._**


	12. A Way Out

In the far corner of the fortress on Coltavo Island was a dungeon that housed 30 prison cells. In front of the door of one of those cells was a guard, whose assignment was to keep the cell's occupants locked in. The occupants were none other than the Young Six, who were dangling on a chandelier-like device by their wrists. Their wrists were each bound in a pair of handcuffs that also had iron boxes to contain their hooves/hands. The large device – called the Body Rack – hung high over a deep pit with low water level. The floor served as an outcrop with the door at the end of the room. As expected, the children who had wings had them bound by the terrible slavers who were unfortunately their masters again.

Gallus hung his head in dejection and apologized in soft frustration, "I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

Sandbar tried to comfort him, "It's…no big deal. We actually stayed away from them for a while. It was sure nice."

Silverstream wept, "Everything was perfect! Now it's over."

Smolder sighed, "Well, time to throw in the towel, I guess."

Yona asked, "What that mean?"

A crestfallen Ocellus answered, "It means to give up. I don't know about you, but I'm with Smolder on this."

Yona cast her eyes downward in despair before she scowled and faced her friends. "Yona no give up! Yona and friends met very nice ponies, ponies who said we were free! They coming to rescue us! If not us, then their children. Parents do anything for children, even risk their lives by setting foot on island. If we adults, we'd do same for other slaves."

Gallus said, "That's nice, Yona, but look around. We're dangling over a near-bottomless pit of water and the floor is over there. And in case you haven't noticed, we're latched onto the Body Rack, which drops if we touch a wall. If we do it three times, the Rack will drop into the water below and drown us all."

Sandbar looked at his surroundings to understand Gallus's point. Then, he got an idea. "But what if we're swinging in the direction of the door at the same time the Rack drops?"

Smolder smiled, "Just like the night we escaped the ship!"

Ocellus lit up with revelation, "Of course! The first law of inertia!" When the others looked at her in confusion, she smiled sheepishly, "Mothball taught me that." She then explained, "An object that isn't moving won't move until something moves it. For example, the Rack isn't moving right now, but if we start kicking our legs in one uniform direction, we can get it moving."

Silverstream squealed in delight, "Ooh! This is so exciting! Our new escape plan!"

Gallus shushed her, "Shh! Silverstream, quiet! We need a plan first." He then smiled deviously, "And I got just the one."

* * *

The guard stood there at the door, never flinching from his post.

 _Creak…Creak…Creak…Creak…Creak-creak-creak-creak-creak…_

The guard grew agitated and he shouted, "You kids better not be thinking of escaping! You know what'll happen if you do!" He then gave an evil grin, "And I'd love to see it happen."

Meanwhile, inside the cell, the Young Six were kicking their legs to swing the Rack. Their objective: touch the wall to the right of the door from where they were.

Gallus spoke to the guard with a mischievous smile on his face, "Well, today's your lucky day, 'cause that's exactly what we're doing!" He then whispered to his friends, "Now!"

The ones closest to the wall gave a big kick backwards while those on the opposite side gave a big kick forward. Smolder stretched out her leg and laid a foot on the stone wall. Naturally, the Rack dropped a few inches, causing Smolder to lose her footing and the children to cry out in surprise.

They heard the guard chuckle, "Serves you right. Two more and you'll be sleeping with the fishes."

Once the Young Six recovered from the sudden drop, they started swinging towards the opposite wall.

Gallus continued to speak to the guard, "Actually, we aren't escaping the old-fashioned way."

The guard asked in confusion, "Say what?"

"We have a friend on the outside who's helping us escape. Her name is Daring Do, and she's gonna whip your hide."

He scoffed, "You're bluffing."

"Are we?" He then whispered, "Ocellus, that's your cue."

She muttered, "I hope this works." When she had tried to use her changeling powers minutes after they were bound to the Body Rack, her magic only worked partially. She hoped that the little magic that was working would be enough. She cleared her throat and spoke in the Daring Do actress's voice, "Do not worry, children! I have come to rescue you!"

This alarmed the guard and he asked, "Who's that in there with you?!"

On cue, Smolder loosened the pebble – gotten from when she touched the wall – wedged between her toes. She kicked it a little high up with her foot and then used her tail to bat it straight into the ceiling. At the same time, the Young Six swung towards the left wall and Silverstream touched it with her hoof. By the time the guard got a glimpse of what was happening, he only saw the Rack dropping a few more inches with dust and pebbles falling from the ceiling. That helped sell the illusion of Daring Do helping the children escape.

The guard growled, "Oh, no…You're not cheating me out of a good drowning!" He then added, "My job's on the line, too."

While the guard fiddled with his key ring outside, Smolder whispered to her friends, "Okay, this is it! Rock like you've never rocked before!"

The Young Six kicked with all their might to reach the wall with the water lapping way down below.

Yona whimpered, "Yona not know if she can do it."

Sandbar pleaded, "You gotta try, Yona! We've got one shot at this!"

Before Yona could touch the wall with her legs, they heard a clicking sound.

Silverstream fretted, "Oh, no! We're too late!"

To their surprise, they heard the guard curse, "Blast! Wrong key!"

Gallus sighed, "Phew! We got a little bit more time. Let's make it count!"

Ocellus encouraged, "It's all you, Yona!"

When the Young Six gave a final hearty kick towards the wall, they heard another clicking sound. However, they did not let it distract them from the task. Just as Yona reached the wall with her back hooves, the door opened. The very second the Rack began to drop, Yona thrust herself, her friends, and the Rack towards the guard. Gallus stretched out his legs in a karate pose and kicked the guard unconscious just as the Rack landed on the floor.

Gallus breathed heavily as he gathered what just happened. It worked! The plan actually worked! They were getting out of the dungeon soon enough!

He panted as he asked his friends, who were still bound to the Rack, "Are…you guys okay?"

Silverstream answered in a dazed but happy tone, "Super duper, Gallus!"

Smolder chuckled, "I almost want to do that again."

Just as Gallus used his tail to grab the key ring, they heard the voices of more guards coming.

When the guards entered from opposite ends of the hallway, they saw that their comrade had been knocked out.

One of the guards crept towards the open cell door and threatened, "All right, you troublemakers…"

Suddenly, pale blue tentacles shot out of the cell and grabbed the guards.

Ocellus, assuming the form of an octopus, asked her friends, "What should I do with them?"

Gallus snapped, "I don't know! Just knock them out or something!"

She said hesitantly, "O-okay…"

She butted the heads of two guards together and did the same for the other two.

After the changeling morphed back to her regular self, Smolder sighed in relief, "Well, that takes care of them."

Sandbar instructed his friend, "Ocellus, scout out the fortress while we free the others trapped here. See if you can find any slaves who aren't in the dungeon. Oh! If you see a way we can escape the island, let us know. Oh! Don't forget to find Zealot, too!"

Ocellus nodded, "Will do."

She morphed herself into a hummingbird and sped out of the dungeon in less than a minute. She rose high up in the sky and saw the massive compound below her.

She thought in worry, _How will I find the others when the fortress is so big? No, I've got to try._

Through her perseverance, she managed to locate more slaves in various buildings such as the metalworking area and the bar. She even managed to find the royal children in the stables of the Fresh Meat area. Seeing the hope on their faces when she told them an escape plan was underway filled Ocellus with much joy…and fear that something will go terribly wrong. Before she returned to the dungeon with her findings, she managed to catch a glimpse of a pony in a curtained stable. She hovered to a small window and gasped when she saw that the pony was in fact Zealot!

She flew in and whispered in Zealot's ear, "Psst! Zealot!"

His eyes opened and he asked, "Huh? Who's there?"

"It's me!" She transformed in front of him.

He smiled, "Ocellus! Thank goodness you're all right! But how did you manage to escape?"

"It's kind of a long story, but we're coming up with a plan to bust everyone out of here." She added sheepishly, "Every slave, I mean."

"Well, when you and your friends escaped Flog's ship, that took ingenuity and guts. I only hope it's enough to get every slave off this island."

"I can get you out of these chains."

"All right, but be discreet."

Ocellus morphed into a fire lizard and breathed fire on the chains binding Zealot. Luckily, the chains were so old that they melted off within a few minutes.

He sighed in relief as he lifted his head again, "Thanks, Ocellus."

Just then, Ocellus's eyes caught something on the ground underneath the hay. "Hey, what's that?"

She and Zealot brushed away the hay and discovered…

Zealot breathed, "A trapdoor!"

He opened it and peered down into the darkness. Suddenly, light overtook the darkness when several torches magically lit up all across the tunnel.

"I think it might be one of the many tunnels that run underneath the fortress. This could be our way out!"

Ocellus smiled widely, "That's great! I'll tell the others!"

He stopped her, "Wait a minute! Even if we do use the tunnels to get out of here, we can't use the pirate ships. They've been enchanted to avoid unwanted takeovers."

"Is there any way to let your family on Marendelle know?"

"It's nigh-impossible. Flog said the island was protected by a strong magic that prevents anyone outside of the slave trade from finding it. Quill Scarlet once told me that magic that specific can't enchant an island as a spell for very long. With a location that big, the magic needs to take the form of a tower in order to keep the spell going."

"I think I saw a tower during my flyover of the fortress. It had a giant red crystal on top."

"That must be it! We must find a way to knock down that tower so my family can come find us. Ocellus, tell your friends about what you've found. I'll scope out the tunnels so we can find the exits."

"Exits?"

"If the size of the compound is anything to go by, this may have once been an army outpost. They would've needed multiple exits in case one couldn't be used."

"Interesting. We'll find you soon, okay?"

As Ocellus flew off as a hummingbird, Zealot said, "Be careful, Ocellus."

* * *

When she returned to her friends in the dungeon, they had already freed all of the slaves in the cells and discovered a secret opening that had been blocked off before Yona smashed the stones away. Ocellus then reported all of her findings, including the locations of the other slaves and the tower. After much discussion and planning, it was decided that Ocellus would dispose of the tower while the others would use the tunnels to find and access the locations she mentioned. Once the slavers were distracted by the destruction of the tower, the rest of the Young Six would usher the other slaves into the tunnels so everyone could escape safely. The team then split up and set their plan into motion.

Ocellus once more took the form of a hummingbird and flew above the buildings and towards the tower. She flittered and hovered as she surveyed the tower's structure, trying to find any weak spots she could exploit. At that moment, a portly Pegasus stallion came up to the tower and used a wrench to tighten the bolts of the tower's steel legs. When the stallion finished his job, Ocellus followed him to a workshop. After the pony threw his wrench into the toolbox and left the workshop, Ocellus swooped in and assumed his form. She took the wrench and flew towards the tower again.

It took her a few seconds to figure out how to remove the bolts, but once she did, it took less than a minute for her to unfasten them from the smaller legs used to secure the crystal at the top. When she unfastened the bolts from the second leg and removed the leg, the crystal began to tip over. Ocellus flew to the back of the tower and morphed into a hummingbird just in time to see the crystal fall to the ground and shatter into a million pieces. When the pirates and slave drivers noticed the incident, they all flocked towards the site to survey the damage. As the slavers left their posts to gather around the tower, the slaves waiting underneath the trapdoors of certain locations took this as their cue to usher the other slaves into the tunnels. Ocellus herself flew to Flog's private stable to use the trapdoor there. Unfortunately, Flog – who was going to check on Zealot to see if he hadn't lost his slave – heard the sound and immediately grew suspicious.

* * *

By now, the island of Marendelle was no longer the tropical island of paradise. It had become a winter wonderland with gray clouds that gave everyone a grim mood. The last of the navy's search party returned to the palace and gave their disheartening news that neither the children nor Zealot could be found. Snow Pea couldn't help but weep for the fate of her young son; Screwball, however, lashed out in anger in an empty room that she practically tore apart.

She panted as her temper died down, "I wish I wasn't so _useless_! If I could use my powers, I could just bring them home in a…a snap of Dad's fingers!"

As his wife sniffled, Mothball put his hoof on her shoulder and comforted her, "We're doing everything we can, Screwball. Just remember that."

Apple Butter then entered the disheveled room and said, "We'll keep finding them until we do. We won't give up."

Screwball choked, "How can you be so optimistic about this?"

"I'm the Element of Laughter. Besides…" she touched her stomach, "something in my gut told me to keep having hope."

Suddenly, Roller Blade rushed into the room and shouted, "We found something!"

Everyone ran to the foyer, where a crystal disk on the floor emitted a holographic map of Equestria and beyond. Over a particular area of the Celestial Sea was a familiar insignia…

"That's the symbol on Flog's flag!" Button Mash said.

"But if it's showing up just now, then something must've happened to expose it!" Skater deduced.

Apple Bloom asked, "Do ya think it's a hideout?"

Rock Salt spoke up, "If it is, then we may have found Zealot and the kids." He pointed to Marendelle and then the spot of the insignia, "See? Here's Marendelle and there's the Florein Triangle, which means they probably didn't get very far."

Sweetie Belle said in confusion, "But that doesn't make any sense. The navy's already searched the Florein Triangle many times. I know it was foggy, but they told us that they combed the Triangle in every direction."

Bubble Gum surmised, "Unless…it was the pirates' protection magic making them go in a direction they had already taken!"

Quill Scarlet said, "That would explain those reports about the compasses being off when the navy exited the Triangle!"

Screwball shouted for joy, "YES! We got 'em! We got 'em this time! Woo-hoo! Oh, they slipped up big time! Ha-ha-ha! YES!"

Scootaloo asked, "But…what if the kids and Zealot aren't there?"

Button Mash said, "Whether or not we find them, we need to thwart Flog and his pirates at any cost. If there are any slaves, we need to rescue them. I'll go and send word to Captain Old Salt to man the biggest ship in the harbor."

"The ones that weren't blown to bits during the pirate attack, anyway," Rumble corrected in annoyance of the current situation with the ships.

"We'll make do with what we have. Which of you are going to the Florein Triangle?"

Screwball raised her hoof, "Oh, I'm _definitely_ going. My chaos magic can get us there lickety-split. Plus, I have a vendetta with those pirates. Tartarus hath no fury like a mother with the powers of chaos!" Her voice echoed at the last bit and lightning flashed outside.

Pip asked in a stunned tone, "How…?"

Mothball said, "It's Screwball. Don't question it."

Skater spoke up, "Well, I'm going."

Roller Blade wrapped his arm around his sister, "Me, too. Us Guardians have gotta stick together."

His wife then piped up, "Uh, one, it's ' _We_ Guardians'. And two, just because you're one doesn't mean I have to sit out. My children are in danger, and I don't intend to stand idly by while you go and rescue them."

He chuckled, "There's that Strapgardian confidence. It's why I fell in love with you." He gave her a kiss.

Apple Butter volunteered, "I'll stay on the ship to keep watch. If we rescue any slaves, I'll make sure everyone is aboard."

Button Mash asked the rest, "What about you all? You coming, too?" When no one responded, he stated, "Maybe it's a good thing. The less lives lost, the better. Now, we must hurry. There's no time to waste."

The king went off to deliver his message to the captain personally and the team got ready for their departure.

Snow Pea fretted to her husband, "Oh, I hope we're not too late."


	13. Salvation

Flog walked up to the motley crowd of scum and villainy gathered around the shattered remains of the crystal that had protected the island from detection.

"COMRADES!" he shouted, causing all eyes to fix on him. He explained to them, "This was no mere accident! 'Twas a ploy! A ploy cooked up by one of the slaves!"

One of the pirates scoffed, "Pfft! Like they could ever come up with an idea like that."

Flog smacked the dirty pony and continued, "You fool! There can be one pony who had the brains for such a scheme…Noname! He destroyed our crystal not just to expose us, but also as a distraction! As we speak, the slaves are down below in the tunnels making their escape! We must stop them before they reach the beach!"

Another stallion asked, "What's gonna happen if they get to the beach?"

Flog smacked him as well and shouted, "Idiot! They'll overwhelm us! That's why we keep them in tight spaces! Now, quickly! Set fire to all the tunnel exits! We'll smoke them out so they'll pool into the checkpoint building!"

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the tunnels, the groups had split up into three so one could have more of a chance to escape than the others. However, the slaves had to move slowly. If they ran, their thundering hooves would cause the surface to shake, thus alerting the slavers to their location.

Zealot told the group he was leading, "All right. We're almost there. The exit is just up ahead."

One female slave asked, "Are we really going to be free, my prince?"

Zealot answered, "Well, we're not out of the woods yet. For all we know, something could go wrong."

Suddenly, flames burst to life at the far end of the tunnel.

Ocellus pointed to it and asked in concern, "Like that?"

Zealot's eyes shrunk as he breathed, "Oh, no."

The female slave freaked out, "No-no-no-no-no-no-no! That exit's our only way out! I can't go back there! I just can't!"

As she raced towards the fiery exit, Smolder chased after her, "Wait! Stop!"

Thankfully, she managed to tackle the pony before she could reach the fire. Then, the others saw that the flames were licking Smolder's back.

The female slave stood up and gasped, "Oh, I am so sorry!"

Smolder asked, "About what?" She looked back to see the tongues of fire touching her back. "Oh." She stood up as she smiled and waved nonchalantly, "Eh, it's no biggie. Dragons are resistant to fire." Then, the revelation dawned on her. She facepalmed, "Of course! Dragons are resistant to fire!" When the ponies started coughing, she said, "Listen! You can't stay here! You need to go back the way you came! You'll die if you don't!"

A male slave protested, "We'd rather die here than up there with those barbarians!"

Zealot raised his voice, which grew hoarser with every second, "I won't let you!"

Smolder coughed, "Besides - *cough cough* I can fly for help once I'm out there."

Ocellus then stepped forth and said bravely, "And I'm coming with you." She then transformed into a yellowish dragon, causing Smolder to smile in tenderness of her friend being willing to accompany her.

Zealot told the other slaves, "Everyone…*cough* back this way!" As the slaves started running down the tunnel, Zealot said to the girls, "Take care, girls!"

Once everyone was gone, Smolder held Ocellus's claw and asked, "Ready?"

Her friend nodded, "Mm-hmm."

They crouched forward, ready to lunge at the burning fire.

Smolder cried, "Go!"

The girls ran through the flames and jumped out of the burning exit with only char marks on their bodies. The girls lied down on the sand as they coughed from the smoke.

After Ocellus morphed back into her normal self, she rasped, "*cough cough cough* I thought dragons were resistant to fire."

Smolder coughed her answer, " _Fire_ …*cough* Not _smoke_."

Meanwhile, inside the tunnels, Zealot's group ran into Gallus's group.

Gallus and Zealot both said in unison, "What are you doing here?! Our exit was burning! You, too?!"

Yona's voice added, "Us, too!"

Both leaders turned to see Yona and Sandbar with their group emerging from another tunnel. Just then, a trapdoor opened at the end of a fourth and shorter tunnel.

The voice of a cruel pirate taunted, "Well…You're in quite a rut, aren't ya? Come up here if ye want to live!"

The slaves had no choice but to obey. In single file, they ran up the steps and into the checkpoint building.

Once every slave was out of the smoking tunnels, Flog commanded his group, "Shut every door here!" After his ponies did as he ordered, he smiled evilly, "Now…to take care of some business…"

* * *

Just off the shore of the island, a giant portal appeared out of the blue. A large ship sailed out of it and landed sideways at the edge of the sand. The ramp lowered and Mothball, Screwball, Bubble Gum, Roller Blade, and Skater trotted down onto the beach. Apple Butter stayed onboard with Captain Old Salt and a hoof-full of his finest crewmembers.

Mothball said, "It's too foggy here. How we gonna find anything?"

Bubble Gum said, "I have an idea. Screwball, can you whip up a conch shell?"

Her cousin-in-law asked in confusion, "What for?"

"While the Young Six stayed with us on Marendelle, I taught them the same thing I taught the other kids. If they were ever in trouble and we were nearby, they needed to blow into a conch shell so it would alert us while escaping the villain's notice at the same time."

Roller Blade praised her, "B.G., that's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?"

Screwball conjured up a seashell and said, "Here you go! One conch shell!"

Bubble Gum thanked her and then blew into the shell, which gave out a long, hollow call.

Moments earlier, Ocellus resumed her normal form after having surveyed the compound as a seagull this time. Thankfully, the guards on the wall walk of the fortress had left their posts, allowing Ocellus and Smolder to linger outside the gates without being seen.

The dragon asked, "Well, what's happening?"

Ocellus answered, "They're smoking out the others so they could be trapped in the center building. Oh! And I think I saw something on the shore."

"What was it?" At that moment, the girls heard a familiar sound. "A conch shell?" Smolder's eyes then widened. "Bubble Gum! They made it!"

Ocellus asked in rising excitement, "They're here?!"

Smolder searched the ground for something. "Yeah! I think so! Help me find a conch shell so we can let them know we're here!"

"It's too foggy! Wait, I got an idea!"

The changeling then transformed herself into a conch shell. When Smolder held her up, Ocellus blew with all her might.

On the shore, the royals heard another conch shell in the distance.

Skater said, "That's them! Come on! This way!"

The five of them followed the call of the conch shell until they saw the massive walls of a tall fortress and the figure of a small dragon.

Bubble Gum smiled as she hugged her friend, "Smolder! We're so relieved you're all right!"

Roller Blade then commented, "Glad you put her technique to good use."

Smolder smiled, "We _both_ did."

She set the conch shell on the ground and Ocellus appeared right before the royals' eyes.

Mothball praised, "Ocellus! That was very clever of you!"

Smolder then said urgently, "We don't have much time! The slaves are in trouble!"

Ocellus explained, "Flog and the slave drivers have them trapped in the center building! We gotta hurry!"

Skater nodded, "Right! You girls go back to the ship and tell them to expect some rescued slaves."

Roller then asked, "By the way, how many are there?"

Smolder answered, "Lots."

Mothball whistled, "Looks like we got our work cut out for us."

* * *

Inside the checkpoint building, Flog and his crew had the slaves backed up against the wall. Most of the slaves were understandably frightened, though some tried to put on a brave face.

Flog threatened in a wicked tone, "Now, children…You have pulled the rug under my hooves for the last time!"

 _CRASH!_

The villains looked to see that the double doors had been practically ripped from their hinges and wood splinters were everywhere. Still, they could not see the assailants.

One of Flog's crewmembers asked in fright, "What was that, boss?!"

Another stallion shivered as he asked, "You don't suppose it was a…g-ghost?!"

Flog dismissed the notion, "Are you all mice?! There are no ghosts on this island!"

As if challenging his claim, an unseen force pulled at a portly stallion's club. He cried, "Oh, yes, there is!"

In an attempt to pull it back, the portly stallion accidentally swung his club into his comrade's face, knocking him out. In just mere moments, the pirates and slavers felt themselves being attacked by "ghosts".

Flog scowled as he lifted a chair, "I got your phantom right here!"

Abruptly, he felt himself being jumped on and he let go of the chair. He tussled with the "spirit" before he kicked it into the wall. The tapestry hanging there fell onto the unknown figure and revealed a mare-shaped lump with a pokey half-sphere on its head.

Flog smiled, "I knew it. You're no spirit." He grabbed a poker and readied to plunge it into the lump. "Which means you can be killed!"

Before he could strike at the lump, something bit his back leg. While he gave a cry of pain, the invisible pony escaped from underneath the tapestry. She then ran towards the slaves and revealed herself only to them.

The kids who knew her shouted happily, "Screwball/Aunt Screwball/Mom!"

She shushed them, "Shh! Don't give me away!"

One of the slaves asked, "But can't they see you?"

She shook her head, "No. Only you can. Listen, my invisible friends and I are gonna get you out of here."

Pepper asked, "But how?"

Sandbar said, "We can't get past the pirates, and the trapdoor's pretty much shot."

Screwball asked, "Trapdoor?"

Dyna explained, "This one. It leads into the tunnels, but they're smoking from the fires at the exits."

Screwball looked at the trapdoor and then got an idea. The propeller on her beanie spun with yellow magic and a flash of light bordered the trapdoor. After the light died down, she opened it to reveal an above view of the sand on the beach.

"Oh, wait!" she exclaimed before conjuring up a slide between the floor and the sand below. "Now go, go, go! One at a time, one at a time!"

The kids slid down first and they found themselves in front of a ship.

Bullet called up to the slaves on the other side of the floating portal, "Come down here! There's a ship waiting for us!"

This excited the slaves and they began to slide down the slide one by one. After they got off the slide, they raced towards the ship's ramp.

Meanwhile, inside the building, the invisible rescue party was getting exhausted. However, they continued fighting the fiends to distract and hopefully capture one of the pirates.

When Grunt noticed that the slaves were going down the trapdoor again, he shouted to his comrades while battling his unseen enemy, "Guys! The slaves are going down into the tunnels again!"

One of the slave drivers told him while tussling with an invisible force, "Those suicidal fools! Just grab one! We have more elsewhere!"

Grunt pushed his foe back and swooped in to grab Aerodynamic. When she heard her daughter shriek, Skater looked up to see a griffon with one arm around the young pony's pinned arms and waist and the other arm around her neck.

Skater gritted her teeth and flew towards the fireplace. She grabbed a hot branding iron as she thought, _Not my daughter, you –_

She then shoved the rod up Grunt's rear end, causing him to yelp in pain and let go of Dyna. Grunt flew frantically around the room, trying to ease his pain. When the invisible team saw Grunt swooping down towards them and the pirates, they jumped out of the way before Grunt crashed into his comrades.

When Screwball saw that all of the bad guys were in one huge pile, she broke out a machine gun and shouted, "ALL RIGHT, YOU BUNCH OF BUZZARDS! EAT NUTTY PUTTY!"

She shot at the pirates and slave drivers multiple times, encasing them in a sticky slime-like substance. She couldn't help but laugh maniacally as she shot her machine gun.

"Screwy! SCREWY!"

The muffled voice broke her trance and she saw a lone stallion fighting against the putty.

"It's me, Roller! Don't shoot me!"

She magically ripped the putty from her friend, who gave a loud yelp of pain.

She smiled sweetly, "Oops. Sorry, Roller."

Skater smirked to her brother, "Hey, you wanted to know what a wax would feel like. Now you know."

Roller glared at his twin.

Mothball said, "Okay, everyone's down the portal. Let's take the pirates before –"

Suddenly, swords started to shred the putty and the substance began to slowly recede from their captives.

Screwball exclaimed, "What?! But my putty –"

Roller grabbed Screwball and said, "Now's the time to move it!"

Once the invisible ponies slid down the slide, Screwball got rid of it, the portal, and their invisibility. The team then ran up the ramp and told the captain to set sail. Before anyone could act, Screwball took matters into her own hooves by using her magic to flip the ship towards the giant portal. She then pulled a long cord with a red handle from the stern of the ship and let it withdraw back into the water. The sound of a large motor filled the air as the ship began to lunge forward. Once the vessel quickly reached the other side of the portal, the gateway closed, leaving only the sea and the thinning fog behind.

The gates of the fortress slammed open and Flog and his motley followers stepped out to see nothing out of the ordinary. No ship, no "ghosts", and no slaves. Flog gave a mighty shout of rage and then all was quiet for a minute.

When no one said anything, one of the pirates dared to break the silence by asking Flog timidly, "Er…Captain? What do we do now?"

He was met with a quick punch to the face courtesy of Flog.

The pirate captain thought to himself, _That insolent Noname was right! He and his family are not to be underestimated. Then again, neither am I…_

Flog then answered in a low but infuriated voice, "The same thing pirates always do: make every last royal pay with their lives if it's the last thing we do."

* * *

When everyone on the ship arrived in Marendelle, there was great rejoicing at the homecoming of its royals and the rescue of the innocent. Marendelle itself shed its layer of snow and ice, and the sun shone once again to brighten the hearts of the kingdom's fair citizens. However, no one was more overjoyed than the royal family themselves.

Inside the castle, the children laughed and shouted happily, "Mom! Dad! I sure missed you, Mommy! Here we are, Mommy!"

Bubble Gum wept for joy as she cuddled her quads, "Oh, my darlings! My darlings!"

Oddball asked Mothball, "How did you find us, Dad?"

Zealot answered, "I believe you should thank the Young Six for that."

The six children smiled in modesty and pride.

Sweetie Belle said to the royal children, "Run along and play now. I'm sure you've missed your toys."

Every kid but Aerodynamic cheered and ran off.

Dyna went up to the Young Six and hugged them. "Thank you! Thank you so much for helping us get back home!"

Zealot smiled and nodded, "Yes, we're all very grateful for what you've done for us." His face then lowered in sadness. "But I'm afraid the same can't be said about the others we saved."

Skater said, "I still can't believe that there are enough of them to fill the entire ballroom to capacity."

Mothball then added, "Yeah, and even then we had to put the rest in the library."

Button Mash stated, "If they are to stay here, we'd have to build a dozen more houses in the village."

Sandbar said, "But they can't." He sighed as he and his friends hung their heads, " _We_ can't."

Scootaloo asked, "What do you mean?"

Gallus explained, "The slavers told us that they found us through blood magic."

Silverstream added, "Or more like hair magic."

Sandbar told the adults, "They used our hairs to track us down and find us on Marendelle. I bet they're using the same thing for the other slaves."

Little Button asked, "But what about when Zealot was bought by Dad?"

Zealot answered, "That's different. When one master trades or sells their slave to another, they no longer bother with them. Slavers only use blood magic if the slaves escape without being sold off or traded."

Screwball asked, "And how did those pirates manage to break free of my Nutty Putty?"

Zealot then said, "They have protection spells cast upon themselves that almost always work except if they're captured or killed. They might still have enough protective magic left to launch an attack on us. As long as they have slave hideouts elsewhere, they'll still be protected from our defenses."

Roller Blade asked, "But what about Gallopinghost Island?"

Quill Scarlet deduced, "I believe that has something to do with the chain of information. The more people you share your secrets about a slave hideout with, the more vulnerable to attack it will become."

Zealot realized, "Of course! That's why Flog said that no one outside of the slave trade could find Coltavo Island! It could only be exposed through sharing information or destroying the source of the protection spell."

Yona asked, "But how we defend ourselves against pirates when they come?"

Button Mash spoke, "We can't risk open warfare with the pirates. It would endanger or even take innocent lives."

Sweetie Belle then got an idea, "But what if we send the slaves away, to the jungles of Equestria? Since it's a vast and almost uninhabited place, it would give the slaves a better chance at hiding from those dreadful pirates."

Rumble said, "No, they'd still track them down."

Apple Bloom then thought of something, "Wait. What if we leave some of the slaves here to lure the pirates to Marendelle? But then we'll send the other slaves to the jungle coast to lure the rest of the pirates away!"

Pip clapped his hooves, "Divide and conquer! Brilliant! Then we can chase away the rascals chasing them!"

Snow Pea said, "We'd better split the jungle party in half so the pirates will split up as well. That way, we'd have a better chance of subduing those villains."

Bubble Gum pointed out, "One moment. Even if we do chase the pirates away from the ships going to the jungle, we might never catch them again."

Screwball then piped up, "Ah. But that's where we attack the pirates coming to Marendelle. We capsize their ships and take them prisoner. And then, we'll get them to tell us the locations of their remaining bases."

Rock Salt asked, "Uh…how do we capsize their ships?"

"One word: cannonballs."

The Young Six looked at the adults in confusion, to which Rock Salt told them, "It's Screwball. Don't question it."

Button Mash asked, "Zealot, how long did it take for the pirates to reach Coltavo Island?"

He answered, "At least a day, if not several hours."

"Then it is decided. We must form a plan tonight, and at daybreak, we put it into motion."


	14. Mounting Tensions

"Look! There's a town straight ahead!"

"Hey, doesn't that building remind me of the Temple of the Stars back home?"

"Oh, I'd love to see it!"

"Which one? Uh-oh. We're losing wind!"

"Oh, no! What do we do?!"

"Okay, okay, just-just stay calm! Maybe we can land somewhere soft!"

"Like that hay cart?"

"Sure! Let's aim for the hay cart! Okay! Here we go!"

 _CRASH!_

"Well, we tried."

The schoolponies walking across Ponyville with their teacher stopped when they saw a leafy hang-glider crash near a hay cart. They then saw two lumps squirming under the contraption and heard them muttering. Suddenly, two strange beings emerged from underneath the glider. One was a bipedal cat with a red knee-high skirt and a large collar necklace adorned with many red and yellow jewels. The other was almost like a pony except for a curvy red horn, a scaly back, and a mane that was stylized like a lion's.

As the newcomers looked at the children in surprise, the cat awkwardly began to speak, "Uh…Hello?"

A colt said, "Strangers."

Another filly spoke up, "From the outside."

The kids gave an "ooh" in unison.

The strange pony introduced herself with a playful yet confident air, "Greetings! We are Autumn Blaze and Capper! We come in peace!"

The kids then flocked towards them, despite their teacher's protests. Autumn Blaze adored the attention while Capper was a bit apprehensive about the situation. Just then, Neighsay walked out of the doors of the Castle of Friendship to run an errand. Before he reached the steps, he saw two strange beings surrounded by children. He gasped at the strangers' bizarre appearances and rushed back inside the castle, quickly slamming the doors behind him. He then skidded into the library and closed the doors to the large room with his bare hooves.

Virtue Mystique – who was researching a book – asked, "Neighsay?"

Juniper Montage – who was on a wheeled ladder – chimed in, "What are you doing?"

Neighsay panted in a frightened tone, "Ladies, today I've seen something no pony should ever see."

Both mares came up to him and asked, "What?"

He then cried, "Two beasts! Two horrible, monstrous beasts!"

"What?!"

All three of them ran to the front doors and creaked them open to watch the scene without being detected. Upon observing the two creatures, they were surprised to see the children greeting them with open arms.

Neighsay whispered, "What are they doing?! Those children shouldn't be near those monsters!"

Juniper asked, "Is the one with the red horn supposed to be some kind of half-pony, half-lion hybrid?"

Virtue answered indignantly, "Of course not! It's a Kirin! Truth be told, I thought they were just a legend."

Neighsay said in uneasiness of the strangers, "And what about that creature there?"

Virtue began to answer, "I think it's an…" Suddenly, her eyes caught something. In the center of the cat's bejeweled collar necklace was a red cameo. It had a cream-colored stone in the shape of a pony's head, in which the eye was a rainbow jewel. To Virtue, the cameo meant only one thing.

She breathed in awe, "The Rainbow-Eyes!"

Juniper uttered, "Huh?"

Neighsay asked, "Who?"

Meanwhile, Autumn Blaze asked the kids, "We are on a really important mission. We need to speak to your leader. Who's in charge here?"

The teacher responded, "Why, the mayor, of course. I'll go get –"

A voice then said, "I'll take it from here, thank you."

When Capri landed next to the crowd of kids, the schoolponies gasped and fled behind their teacher. Capper also hid behind Autumn when he saw the draconequus with the dark maroon hair.

Capri said in annoyance while placing his fists on her hips, "Oh, sure. You get all excited when _they're_ here, but when _I'm_ here, suddenly it's –"

Juniper Montage interrupted her as she introduced herself, "Hi! I'm Princess Juniper Montage of Applewood! Nice to meet you!"

She extended her hoof for a hoofshake, but Autumn and Capper just stared at it in confusion.

Juniper whispered to Neighsay, "I think they're just shy."

Neighsay muttered in disdain, "Indeed." He then spoke up and introduced himself in a formal manner, "I am the princess's advisor, Neighsay."

Capri introduced herself, "I am Capri, sister of Prince Discord."

Finally, it was Virtue's turn. "And I am Virtue Mystique. What are your names?"

Capper introduced himself, "Capper's the name. Charming's my game." He gave a bow.

Autumn then said, "And I'm Autumn Blaze. Pleased to meet you all. We came from –"

Suddenly, Capper shut her mouth with his paws. He tittered nervously, "Eh-heh-heh. We're not allowed to say in public. Shall we go inside for a little chat?"

* * *

When the six of them were in the castle, Neighsay decided to retire to his guest room because he wasn't very interested in what the newcomers had to say. Juniper, however, wanted to be in the library with them. Capri and Virtue knew that the princess would do anything to listen in, so they begrudgingly allowed her to be present, on one condition…

"Absolute secrecy?" Juniper whined.

Virtue stressed, "Juniper, this is too important to share with the world. If you want to be included, you have to do what we say."

Capri whipped up a piece of taffy and told her, "This is a candy I like to call 'Tight-Lips'. It prevents you from telling anyone outside of our circle and the royal family about what you are going to hear."

Juniper's eyes widened, "You mean, it's a conspiracy?!"

Capri sputtered in frustration, "No, it's not a conspiracy! Just eat it!" After she shoved the taffy into the mare's mouth, she added, "The spell will lift only if it's absolutely necessary that you tell someone about the topic."

After Juniper swallowed the candy, she said in an irritated tone, "Okay, I ate it. Can I please be included now?"

Virtue and Capri said in unison as they closed the library doors so no one else could hear the conversation they were about to have, "Yes."

* * *

A few days ago, a gentle army of Kirin was traversing the jungles of Southern Equestria. After their home on the Peaks of Peril fell prey to a dragon attack, Queen Rain Shine decided that it was time to return to the place where the Kirin had originally called home before they migrated to the Peaks thousands of years ago.

As the Kirin got closer to their birthplace, they sang and trotted to the tune, _"Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega…Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega…"_

One of the Kirin blew into a wooden horn.

 _"_ _Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega…Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega…"_

After the Kirin blew his horn again, the female Kirin sang, _"Steady as the beating drum…Singing to the cedar flute…Seasons go and seasons come…Bring the corn and bear the fruit…"_

The male Kirin then joined in with the ladies, _"By the waters sweet and clean…where the mighty sturgeon lives…Plant the squash and reap the bean...All the earth our mother gives…O great spirit, hear our song…Help us keep the ancient ways…keep the sacred fire strong…walk in balance all our days…_

 _"_ _Seasons go and seasons come…Steady as the beating drum…Plum to seed to bud to plum…Hega hega ya-hi-ye hega…Steady as the beating drum…Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega…Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega…_

 _"_ _Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega…Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega…Hega…Hega…Hega… Hega…Hega…Hega…Hega…"_

They trailed off when Rain Shine suddenly stopped walking. They kept silent as her ears strained to hear whatever was coming from the dark cave.

After a few minutes, their leader told her party, "Wait here. Something may be in these tunnels. If I do not return by sunset, leave at once."

And so the Kirin waited anxiously for their queen to return from the cave. After an hour of uneasy silence and nervous chatter among the Kirin, they saw glowing white eyes and a burning fire of red, cyan, and violet ascend from the deepest depths of the cave. It was none other than Queen Rain Shine, who now assumed her Nirik form. The Kirin were shocked to see their leader like this and knew that something was terribly wrong. Thankfully for them and the surrounding plants of the jungle, Rain Shine calmed down and returned to her Kirin form. However, anger was still etched on her face.

"We head back to the clearing as our temporary home," she told her subjects in a low voice.

No one dared to question her and followed her to the glade.

That night, everyone gathered in the great conference tent to hear what Rain Shine had to say. She related her tale: while in the tunnels, she found cat guards at a gate where the entry to the birthplace was. From them, she learned that a group called the Rainbow-Eyes had built their city on their homeland. She tried to enter the city to speak with the Rainbow-Eyes' leader, but the guards treated her as an intruder who was lying in order to conquer it. After finishing her story, she told her subjects that they would prepare for war in the next moon. Autumn Blaze tried to reason with the queen and vouch for a more diplomatic approach. Rain Shine dismissed her suggestion and so did everyone else.

When she went to bed, Autumn couldn't sleep and thus decided to take matters into her own hooves. She sneaked off towards the nearest papaya tree and began picking its fruit. She hoped to take a bowl of fruit to the guards as a peace offering tomorrow morning.

Then, a voice startled her, "You know they're bad, right?"

Autumn yelped and fell to the ground. A lone papaya then fell and impaled itself on her horn.

She hurriedly got on her hooves and faced the treeline in a defensive stance. "Who are you?! Don't hurt me! I…got a papaya on my head and I'm not afraid to use it!"

A tall cat with a red skirt then emerged from the brush and said smoothly, "Whoa, whoa there, miss. You don't need to use the papaya. Besides…" He pulled the impaled fruit from her horn. "…you were getting yourself a bad batch." He split it open and Autumn Blaze saw black and white splotches inside the fruit.

She grimaced, "Yuck! Glad you stopped me before I gave those papayas to the cat guards."

"You mean Chummer and Alley? Yeah, I know those two."

"That's great! We could meet them tomorrow and tell them this whole land thing was a big misunderstanding."

"Well, sorry to rain on your parade, Miss…"

"Autumn Blaze."

"Right. Hate to tell you this, but the Rainbow-Eyes see _your kind_ as the intruders, not them."

"But it's our land!" As she said this, red wisps of magic danced around her horn for a second.

"Well, when my ancestors came here a couple thousand years ago, they didn't see any sign that said 'This Land is Taken'. They just assumed that the place was abandoned and built El Dortroto right on top of the ruins."

Autumn said in realization, "Oh, wow. I never thought of it like that before." She then gasped, "Oh my gosh! We have to stop the war before it happens!"

"What war?"

"Rain Shine and the other Kirin are going to war with the Rainbow-Eyes in the next moon!"

"How big is their army?"

"They don't need a big army to cause a lot of damage."

"Oh, they must have a secret weapon, then."

"Er…something like that. Do you think you can talk to your friends about negotiating peace with the Kirin?"

"E-e-e-I don't think I can. I'm considered small potatoes in El Dortroto."

Autumn Blaze then gasped in revelation, "That's it! We need a third party to help us with this! Do you know any jungle tribes around here?"

"Not too many, I'm afraid." At that moment, the cat got an idea. "Oh, say! Why don't we travel beyond the jungle to find a third party?"

"That's a great idea! I got a hang-glider that I've been working on for forever. I'll finish it so we can take off for who-knows-where tomorrow night!"

"Sounds like a plan!" He then pointed to a tall rock formation, "I'll meet you up there, okay?"

"Okay!" Before she and the cat parted ways, she said to him, "Oh! I never got your name."

"It's Capper. Capper Dapperpaws."

* * *

Virtue asked, "So you took the hang-glider and flew your way to Ponyville?"

Autumn nodded, "Yep! Only we didn't know we were going to land in Ponyville. We were just following the northern lights in the sky."

Capri's ears perked in realization, "Oh! You saw the northern lights? Those were from the Crystal Empire as a way to calm everyone during a crisis."

Capper asked, "Crisis?"

Juniper nodded, "Yeah. Celestia and Luna got captured and pirates –"

Capri quickly covered Juniper's mouth as she smiled nervously, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. We're taking care of it right now."

Autumn's spirits lowered, "So you're not coming with us, then?"

Virtue said, "I will, if Capper answers one question."

The cat asked, "Yeah?"

"Do you know anyone named Quibble Pants?"

He waved his paw nonchalantly as he answered, "Oh, yeah. I know him. He and his wife are the talk of the town ever since they arrived in El Dortroto about a week ago."

Virtue jumped and shouted for joy, "YES! They're alive! They're alive! I knew it! I knew it all along!"

Autumn Blaze smiled, "So you're coming?"

"Yes, yes! Absolutely, I will!"

Juniper then piped up, "I wanna come, too!"

Capri asked her, "But what about forging an alliance with the deer?"

"Well, Skyla and Blackthorn are doing that. I can come with you guys to help stop a war and forge _two_ alliances! One between the Rainbow-Eyes and the Kirin, and the other between El Dortroto and Equestria!"

The draconequus put her hands on Juniper's shoulders and faced her at eye-level, "You promised your uncle that you'd help build an alliance with the deer. Plus, I don't think you're ready to do that yet. There's still a lot more you need to learn, just as I do."

The princess growled, "ERRGGHH! Why does no one think I'm capable of doing _anything_?!" She then ran out of the library in a huff.

* * *

Juniper tossed and turned in her bed, not being able to sleep. How could she? They thought she wasn't capable of anything! Well, she'd show them. She would show them that she could forge an alliance with the deer and then El Dortroto. After she stopped the war, that is. Then Neighsay and her uncle will see her as a responsible mare.

No, a responsible, _heroic_ mare! She liked the sound of that.

She jumped out of bed, grabbed a black cloak to wear, and put on her slippers so she wouldn't make a sound. She then ran down the halls – sometimes losing her way – until she reached the front doors. She took off her slippers and slowly creaked open the door. Once she slipped out without being detected, she closed the door softly before trotting down the steps and towards the Everfree Forest. Right after she asked for directions.

* * *

"Has Princess Skyla been escorted to her room?"

Blackthorn nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. She finds Thicket to be a splendid and beautiful place."

Aspen said, "I would've liked to hear those words from her own mouth."

"Knowing you, you probably would've thought she was just buttering up to you."

"Hmm, perhaps. Let's take a walk on the skyway for a few minutes, Captain. I must speak with you about something."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

As the two of them started to ascend the spiral walkway, Aspen said, "Thicket's long absence from the Everfree Forest is proof of the ponies' carelessness and cruelty."

Blackthorn interjected, "With all due respect, Your Grace, the Everfree Forest hasn't suffered while we were gone."

"And yet it hasn't thrived either, has it?"

Blackthorn's eyes darted downwards, knowing that the king was right.

When they reached the skyway, Blackthorn's breath caught. Oh, how he had missed this view of the night sky as well as the small lights dotting the skyway. It was all so magical and he truly felt at peace whenever he was here.

He returned to the subject at hoof and stated, "My king, my guards and I have lived among the ponies for a while. I grant you they may be somewhat ignorant, but…I think they're a bit like us."

Aspen stopped in his tracks with a soft yet alarmed glare on his face. He slowly turned towards his companion and suggested, "Captain…has it ever occurred to you that you are perhaps being misled?"

Blackthorn raised an eyebrow. "'Misled'?"

Aspen gestured his hoof towards the horizon and explained, "Out there is a world where ponies and other creatures are attracted to the material and disposable. When they fight and quarrel over meaningless possessions, cities and kingdoms will fall. In here, we live in simplicity as one with nature. Even with Thicket's entrapment, we have thrived for generations. The ponies and other creatures will one day perish, but the deer will remain on this very earth. But should the outside world be allowed to conquer our paradise, it will spell an end for the deer."

Blackthorn told him, "You make your point quite vividly, sir, but you're focusing only on their destructive tendencies, not what they can do through friendship."

Aspen turned his nose up in dismissal, "Even their concept of friendship will surely poison our society from within. If an alliance with the Crystal Empire is forged, the ponies will leave us be except for aid alone. We are not to be involved in their wars, their celebrations, or their traditions. We must live by the code our ancestors created countless moons ago. We cannot allow ourselves to be like ponies. We are deer – steadfast, brave, and true."

"We may not be like ponies, Your Highness, but we must adapt. We can't just live in isolation."

"We have, we can, and we will. Our way of life will be preserved and nothing will taint it."

"Is that why you're threatened by anyone different from you?"

Aspen looked at him in stunned silence before a guard ran up towards them.

"Sire! A pony has trespassed into Thicket!"

Aspen exclaimed in a soft but alarmed tone, "What?!"

As the king went with the guard, Blackthorn lingered on the skyway until a dreadful thought crossed his mind. "Oh, no…"

 ** _AN: The song in this chapter is "Steady as the Beating Drum" from_** **Pocahontas.**


	15. One by One

**_AN: The tweaked songs featured in this chapter are "We're the Wickersham Brothers" from_** **Horton Hears a Who** ** _and the Hurt Incantation from_** **Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.**

 ** _If you don't recognize the Pseudocorn Trio, they're from_** **Friends Forever #25.**

 ** _Shadow Lock (from the comic arc_ From the Shadows _)_ _is the gray unicorn in this chapter, but he will remain as "the unicorn" until he is mentioned by name._**

Deep within the bowels of Tartarus, there was a lair where no righteous pony would ever dare go. It was a place where only the most black-hearted would call their home: the Pit of Hate. The entrance to the cave was shaped very much like a dragon's head, with glowing embers for eyes and two rows of jagged, sharp crystals for teeth. If a pony got too close to the crystals, it would result in grievous injury or even death. However, even the outside of the Pit paled in comparison to what was inside of it.

Whereas the atmosphere hanging over Tartarus was deathly cold, the Pit of Hate was practically sweltering. The suffocating heat and the smoky fog came from a field of lava pits that laid below a cliff. The field was known as "The End of the Line", for that was where the walls of Tartarus ended and the most hateful criminals were thrown in to suffer in the lava for eternity. The bubbling of the lava sometimes let loose a yell of terror or a moan of despair from the souls trapped within. Though it made the Pit of Hate more haunting, it was not the lair's only horrifying aspect.

The walls of the Pit of Hate were lined with red crystals that jutted out and threatened to stab a pony. Legend says that if one gazed into one of those crystals, an unearthly demon would stare right back at them or even pull them into the crystal with them. If the legend was true, then Discord most definitely didn't want to find out. Besides, he couldn't since he was bound by black goo to a large purple stalagmite. He was surrounded by other purple crystals that protruded from the ground.

Just then, a black mist rolled in and sinister laughter filled the air. The mist then bunched together to create the fiendish Pony of Shadows.

The villain taunted Discord, "Well, well, well. Look how the mighty have fallen."

Discord smirked in retaliation, "Funny. I was going to say the same thing about you."

The Pony of Shadow chortled, "Oh, you are a feisty one! Makes me wonder why the ponies don't turn to you as the deus ex machina."

Discord could practically smell the scent of manipulation from a mile or two away. He wasn't going to let himself be used as a puppet for the villain's whims.

"The way I see it, they rely on their precious alicorns more than they do you or your sister."

Discord quipped, "Well, I can't be their babysitter 24/7, now can I?"

The shadow pony said coyly, "No, I suppose not. Besides, you'd do a very bad job at it, considering how I corrupted Celestia and Luna."

The draconequus asked in mock-curiosity, "Yeah, how did you do it, anyway? What's your secret to corrupting two powerful ponies?"

The Pony of Shadows chuckled, "You're not getting secrets out of me so easily. But…I can get secrets out of _you._ I know that even powerful beings like you have a weak spot for something. Or rather, _someone_."

Discord's mind immediately flashed to Fluttershy, even though he kept a straight and stoic face.

 _"_ _Discord?"_

His heart skipped a beat when he heard his wife's sweet voice. He darted his head until he saw an image of her in one of the purple crystals.

He shut his eyes and turned his head away as he snapped, "Stop it! You're not going to break me with your nasty tricks!"

The Pony of Shadows responded slyly, "Oh, I'm not doing this, Discord. You are. These crystals can sense what you fear most and project it as a mirage. Right now, you fear for the safety of your dear, precious wife. But there's more. There's also your daughter…"

His heart caved again and an image of Screwball appeared on another crystal.

 _"_ _Daddy?"_

"…and your grandson."

An image of Oddball then appeared on the face of a third crystal.

 _"_ _Grandpa?"_

When "Oddball" vanished, the Pony of Shadows continued, "You never really cared about Celestia and Luna. You were only doing what you were _obliged_ to do. The only three ponies you'd move heaven and earth for are your wife, your child, and…"

To his surprise, another image appeared on a crystal. This time, it was of a faceless swaddled foal.

The villain said in realization, "Baby...So…you have a baby on the way." He then smiled wickedly at Discord, "Your heart betrays you once more, Discord. Now you've put everyone you've ever loved in grave danger."

The draconequus felt a mix of emotion: fear for his loved ones, shame that he let his heart reveal itself, and anger that the Pony of Shadows would dare hurt them.

"But…they can be saved, _if_ you are to join me."

Discord knew it was a hollow promise, but he loved his family dearly and wanted to protect them very much.

He spoke in a low voice, "I'm listening."

The Pony of Shadows scoffed, "Ha! As if you would join me that easily! You are a creature of chaos! You have the powers of reality at your will! You would turn on me the moment you're free! Since I know you will not join me, then perhaps your unborn child will."

That did it for Discord. His anger snapped to life and he broke free of his bonds as he shouted, "NOOOOO!"

Before Discord could aim his magic at the fiend, the Pony of Shadows proved to be quicker by shooting Discord straight at his heart.

After the draconequus slumped to the ground, the dark shadow pony said, "I'm always one step ahead, Discord. Now you will do more damage than you've ever done good."

Discord writhed, groaned, and gagged for several moments before he retched out a small part of his chaos magic. It was now dark purple with zigzags and spiky balls. It also emitted many strange and abnormal sounds that could send a shiver down anyone's spine. Discord kept vomiting out his magic until the last of it left his lips and joined the rest as a sort of cloud hanging over the crystals. The Pony of Shadows – though stunned by this sudden development – conjured up a clear crystal and used it to absorb the chaos magic.

The villain said while looking at the magic contained within the crystal, "Hmm…His chaos magic seems to have taken the brunt of my corruption spell." He then smiled, "Well…I suppose this means I have no more use for its wielder."

The Pony of Shadows shot black tendrils at Discord's unconscious body and swung him around like a slingshot. He then flung the draconequus towards the End of the Line to be trapped in the lava forever.

* * *

Sunset constantly wiped tears from her eyes as she continued on her trek through the lonely and barren plains of Tartarus.

She thought to herself, _No! Twilight didn't mean it! I'm just as much a part of her family as her sisters are! Ugh, I meant_ our _sisters! Maybe I…don't belong after all._

Before she could weep again, sinister laughter rang all around her. She took a defensive pose and lit up her horn.

One female voice mocked, _"Aww…Is the pony princess crying because she wants attention?"_

Sunset snarled, "You don't know me."

Another female voice spoke up, _"We don't, but do they?"_

"Who?"

A male voice then said, _"The royal family, of course. Do they know you're a fraud?"_

"SHUT UP!"

The moderate amaranth magic that burst from her horn hit a few crystals in front of her, leading to a small explosion. As the dust settled, the evil laughter could be heard again and Sunset looked all around until she saw a silhouette appear in the dust cloud.

The mare-shaped silhouette sang as she appeared, _"Rot…"_

Another mare-shaped silhouette then appeared. _"Rot…"_

A stallion-shaped silhouette emerged and sang, _"Rot…"_

All three shadows sang, _"Rot…"_

The first silhouette then parted the dust to reveal herself as a moderate amaranth unicorn with a light arctic bluish gray mane. _"It's a plot…"_

The next silhouette revealed herself as a unicorn with a brilliant amber coat and a brilliant vermilion mane. _"Plot…"_

The stallion silhouette parted the dust and shown himself as a unicorn with a grayish azure coat and a black and pale, light grayish cerulean mane. _"Plot…"_

All three unicorns sang together, _"Plot…"_

They then shot their magic at Sunset's horn, creating a small multi-colored web that prevented her from casting spells. The princess could do nothing but hear what they had to sing.

 _"_ _We're the Pseudocorn Trio…We're onto your plot…Pretending you're something that you're really not…It's a poor and, frankly, real pathetic plot…Pretending you're something that you're…really not…"_

The two mares sang, _"We're the Pseudocorn Trio…"_

All three then sang together, _"We're vigilant spotters…Hot-shot spotters of rotters and plotters…and we're going to take your princess persona from you…"_

Sunset couldn't take any more of this and ran away from them.

Despite this, the trio ran after her and continued to sing, _"You're a dastardly, ghastardly, shnastardly schnook…trying to brainwash their brains…with this gobbledygook…"_

When Sunset was a good distance away from the unicorns, she looked in every direction to make sure she was safe. Just after the princess sighed in relief, the red unicorn teleported in front of her!

The blue-haired mare sang, _"We know what you're up to, pal…"_

Sunset ran from her adversary, only to almost collide with the amber unicorn.

The second pony sang, _"You're covering your shattered morale…"_

When Sunset tried to flee again, she ran into the blue stallion, who sang, _"You're trying to hide your discontent…"_

The trio sang as they pursued and taunted Sunset, _"That what she said was what she meant…You're trying to throw sand in your eyes…You're trying to feed yourself these lies…You're just a fraud worthy of hate…and that will be your ultimate fate…You are a fool…not meant for jewels…You've never even followed rules…Once they know the truth, then you'll be the object of ridicule…We're not like you 'cause we're no fools…"_

They had Sunset cornered. Behind her was a shallow ravine that was a yard deep and a few yards wide. She had no magic, no bridge, and no family to help her now. She was practically defeated.

The villainous unicorns continued to taunt her through song, _"We're the Pseudocorn Trio…We know your type…and we're putting a stop to this trickulous tripe…We're the Pseudocorn Trio…We're squashing your plot…"_

When the trio edged closer to Sunset, the princess instinctively stepped back and fell into the ravine.

As Sunset recovered from her fall, the Pseudocorn Trio sang, _"There'll be no more trying to be who you're not…"_

The stallion sang as he shot a tendril of light raspberry magic at Sunset's heart, _"There'll be no more trying to be who you're not…"_

The amber unicorn sang as she did the same thing with her yellow magic, _"There'll be no more trying to be who you're not…"_

The red unicorn shot her tendril of blue magic at Sunset's chest as she sang, _"There'll be no more trying to be…"_

The stallion sang as he and his comrades lifted Sunset into the air with a multi-colored aura enveloping her, _"No more trying to be…who you're not…"_

As Sunset struggled and writhed, the Pseudocorn Trio recited a spell. "Wither and decay. End this destiny. Break these earthly chains and set the darkness free."

At that moment, a black substance crawled up their magic tendrils and reached Sunset's chest. Her eyes became encased in black and the aura surrounding her soon turned black as well. A layer of darkness then folded over Sunset and formed a sphere with white flares emanating from it. After a few seconds had passed, the sphere compressed into a cocoon. A demonic figure then slid out from the bottom of the cocoon and landed on the ground. After the cocoon disappeared, Sunset looked at her hooves, which were now brilliant crimson claws.

She gasped and asked in horror, "What did you do to me?!"

The amber unicorn responded with a wicked smile, "You have been corrupted into a hideous beast."

The blue stallion then said, "And we're taking you back to our master."

Sunset shouted in retaliation, "As if!"

Suddenly, she stretched out her hands and magic that looked like fire shot out towards the Pseudocorns. Sunset's stomach dropped when she saw their unconscious bodies and realized how powerful and dangerous her magic had become. Quickly, she fled along the side of the ravine and vanished from view.

* * *

In a grove of crystals, Twilight wept as she tried to process what she was told.

She sniffled, "No…It has to be a lie! It has to! My father…*sob* My father would never be a vile monster."

She then realized that when Sombra was "cursed", she never saw him for ten years. He claimed to have been hiding at the Everfree Castle during that time, but was that the whole truth?

She slapped herself as she fought the doubt within her heart and thought, _No! Stop it! Just…stop it._

Suddenly, otherworldly laughter filled the air. She looked everywhere for the source of the sound until her eyes fell upon a crystal. From this crystal, hellish eyes appeared. The irises were brilliant scarlet with light brilliant green sclera; vivid violet smoke emanated from the sides of the eyes. Twilight's heart skipped a beat as she recognized those eyes from her past.

She breathed, "No…No…No, you're not real! You're a specter of evil!"

Sombra's voice taunted, _"Come now. Is that any way to greet your dear, old dad?"_

"You are not my father! You're just a hallucination conjured up to torture me!"

"He" replied in a mock-hurt tone, _"That stings, Twily. It really does."_

The use of Sombra's nickname for her struck a nerve. "Stop it!"

 _"_ _Oh, but you can't stop it, Twilight. You can't stop the evil within your heart from taking over. You can't escape your darkness. It's a part of me, and now it's a part of you."_

As the image said this, Sombra's full body was revealed. He was now a cruel unicorn, with a pointed crown, a black mane that flowed like fire, and a red, curved horn. It was too much for Twilight.

"NOOO!" she screamed as she shot at the crystal containing the image.

In a big explosion, the crystal chunks flew in all directions. One hit Twilight in the head and she fell to the ground in semi-unconsciousness. Just then, a cloaked gray unicorn with a scar on his muzzle came up to the still alicorn.

He chuckled in menace, "Well, that's one way to capture the queen." His horn lit up as he said, "Now it's time to show me who you really are."

A tendril of magic shot from his horn and tethered itself to Twilight's chest, making her writhe for a moment. He then levitated her into the air and sang his spell.

 _"_ _Wither and decay…End this destiny…Break these goodly chains…and set the darkness free…The darkness free…"_

Sunset had heard the explosion moments earlier and saw a bright light as she had neared the source of the sound. She peeked behind a crystal to see a black cocoon descending to the ground and releasing a purple figure with dark wings. Though the figure looked almost human, Sunset recognized the colors in her wild, upright hair anywhere.

Before she could stop herself, she exclaimed, "Twilight!"

In an instant, both the unicorn and Twilight looked up to see Sunset. The now-demon saw that her sister's eyes now had brilliant mulberry irises with pale, light grayish cyan sclera. A magic that glowed the same cyan color framed her eyes like fiery glasses. Her horn was replaced by a longer one that also glowed cyan and had holes in it.

Twilight was startled by her twin's demonic form. However, when she looked at her own reflection in a nearby crystal, she gasped in horror and scampered back in fright. Ashamed of her monstrous form, she spread her wings and flew off to parts unknown.

"NO!" Sunset cried out, trying in vain to stop her.

The unicorn then said, "Odd. You have wings, yet you can't fly."

Sunset's anger overtook her again and she lunged at the assailant, pinning him against one of the crystals.

She shouted, "What have you done to her?!"

The unicorn strained defiantly against her chokehold, "I cast a spell on her that allows her true colors to be revealed."

Sunset growled in retaliation, "Those were _not_ her true colors!"

"It's her darkness personified. Her most negative emotions come to light. And the same thing has happened to you."

"Why?! Why are you doing this?!"

"So everyone can see the royals as they truly are, not the perfect image of hope and kindness."

Sunset threw the unicorn to the ground before attempting to calm herself down. This was the curse speaking, not the real Sunset.

The unicorn continued to speak, "So the spell the Pseudocorns cast on you was imperfect, then?"

Sunset asked in suspicion, "How do you know about that?"

"We were sent to attack you and Twilight Sparkle. You are now a monster, but you still show great care towards your sister, which tells me the spell is incomplete or imperfect."

Sunset telekinetically pulled the unicorn's cloak – along with him – into her hand. "You're either going to take me to your master or help me find my sister."

The stallion said, not the least bit intimidated by her order, "Now why would I want to do that?"

"You don't have a choice."

With that, Sunset levitated him and then pulled his cloak, elongating it so it could cover his body like a burlap bag. As she was tying the ends of the cloak around his neck, he tried to use his magic.

"Oh, no, you don't."

Sunset wrapped her claw around his horn and cracked it. It wasn't enough to break it, but enough to prevent her reluctant companion from attacking her or escaping. She then ripped off the bottom of her new skirt and used the strip to bandage his horn. The unicorn was confused as to why she did that when she just disabled his only means of performing magic.

"Oh, and one more thing."

She ripped the hood off his cloak, ripped that in two pieces, and then attached them to the "bag" as straps.

As she put the unicorn on her back, she smiled cunningly, "There. Now you're forced to be in my company until we find my sister or you tell me where your master is."

He snarled, "I'll never tell!"

"Okay. Then my sister it is."

* * *

For hours, Cadance and the four Guardians had searched for a trace of either Discord or Twilight. When they had no success, Nova consulted her books about the legends of Tartarus and came across a particular story. It was about an enchanted rose that grew deep within a place called the Hidden Cave. The flower was said to cure corruption spells and purge magically-inflicted darkness from someone. And so the group had a new mission: find the rose and use it to free the royal sisters from their corruption.

After an hour or two of walking, Blaze asked, "Are you sure we're getting close to finding the Hidden Cave? 'Cause I feel like we've been walking forever."

Nova Rose scolded him, "Patience, Blaze. Just be glad I brought along my saddlebags to put in the books about the legends of Tartarus."

Mischief nodded, "Yeah. If you hadn't, we never would've known about the rose that can undo corruption."

A sinister voice said above and behind them, "A rose, you say?"

Cadance and the four Guardians turned and looked up to see two dark silhouettes emerge from behind two tall crystals and descend upon the group as Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon.

NMM smiled evilly, "Now that's something we would like to see."

Cadance whispered to her daughter and the Guardians, "I'll distract Nightmare Moon."

Flurry then said, "We'll take care of Daybreaker."

Mother and daughter both said to each other, "Be careful."

While Cadance flew up to engage Nightmare Moon, the Guardians fled from the corrupted sisters.

Daybreaker asked with a menacing grin as she pursued the four, "And where do you think you're going?"

As the Guardians ran, they deflected Daybreaker's magic attacks with a giant shield made of their combined magic.

Blaze asked, "How much closer are we to the Hidden Cave?"

Nova explained, "Well, we passed the last landmark leading to the Cave, so we should be about there! The entrance is a door of crystals that lets only the good-hearted pass!"

Flurry's eyes widened and she pointed to something, "There! I think I can see it!"

The Guardians followed Flurry's gaze and saw a door of sideways blue crystals interlocking with each other. At that moment, Daybreak shot a huge fireball at the Guardians' shield and broke it into oblivion. The Guardians fell on the ground from the impact of the attack. Just as they were regaining their senses, Daybreaker swooped in and captured Flurry Heart!

Mischief gasped and then snarled, "Oh, no, you don't!"

He conjured up a pair of bolas and flung them at Daybreaker's legs, binding them together. While the villainess was distracted, Flurry made her getaway.

Mischief then summoned a giant slingshot and told his friends, "All right, gang! Let's send this fireball flying!"

Nova and Blaze used all of their magic to apprehend Daybreaker and put her in the leather pad. Mischief then released the rubber and she soared a long distance until she crashed into a crystal, knocking her into semi-unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, Cadance and Nightmare Moon were caught in a mid-flight war of dodge-or-fire.

Cadance spoke to her, "Mother, this isn't really who you are! You are Princess Luna, a wonderful, kind, loving –" She was cut off when a blast of magic grazed her cheek.

Nightmare Moon scowled, "That name no longer has any meaning for me! I am more powerful than she once was!"

Cadance's heart stung for a moment before determined serenity appeared on her face. "Then my mother truly is dead."

She steeled her resolve and blasted at Nightmare Moon before striking her over a field of crystals. She dove down and hovered just over the spot where Nightmare Moon struggled to get up.

She whispered, "I'm sorry."

She then shot her magic at the mare who was once her mother. Suddenly, the ray ran through Nightmare Moon and bounced off a crystal the illusion was blocking. Before Cadance could act, she was hit by her own magic blast and was instantly crystallized. Nightmare Moon, who had hidden behind another crystal, caught Cadance's statue before it could hit the ground. Suddenly, she felt a twinge of regret in her blackened heart. However, that flash of emotion vanished just as quickly as it had emerged. She took the statue with her as she flew over the field and soon found Daybreaker recuperating from her rough landing.

Nightmare Moon smirked, "Well, well, well. Looks like they got the better of you, haven't they?"

Daybreaker rose as she snarled, "They did not. This is only a minor setback."

Her sister scoffed, "Minor?"

Just then, they heard a rapid succession of clacking. Nightmare Moon flew up and looked to see what it was.

She gasped in horror, "No!"

The last of the Guardians ran through the open entrance to the Hidden Cave just as the crystals quickly interlocked back together from top to bottom.


	16. A Matter of Responsibility

**_AN: The song in this chapter is "Everything I Ever Thought I Knew" from_** **Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.**

 _Tweet-tweet-tweet!_

Capri rose out of her bed and asked the orange bird perched on her windowsill, "Calvin, is that you?"

She walked up to Calvin and grabbed the little tube tied to his talon with her fingers. She opened the tiny canister and a long and large scroll slid out. After she got over her initial amazement at such a trick, she opened the scroll and read it.

Her heart dropped and her eyes shrunk as she uttered, "Oh, no…"

Suddenly, the door slammed open, scaring Calvin away. The startled draconequus turned to see a furious Neighsay at her doorway.

He demanded, "What have you done with Princess Juniper Montage?!"

Capri retorted in offense of the idea, "What have _I_ done?! Why do you presume it was _me_?!"

"Who else has the powers of chaos and can leave a trail cold?!"

She scoffed, "I did nothing of the sort! You want proof?!" She practically shoved the paper into Neighsay's face. "Here! Read for yourself!"

The advisor levitated the message and read it. He grunted in anger and crumpled the paper before he growled, "This is highly unacceptable!"

Capri crossed her arms and said, "Yeah. Juniper's gone too far this time."

"I'm not talking about Juniper! I'm talking about those fiends! How dare they arrest the princess of Applewood on the mere suspicion of trespassing! They must be stopped!"

Before he could leave the room, Capri conjured up a small brick wall in the hallway, causing Neighsay to bump his muzzle into it.

"Whoa there, Horse-ay."

He turned to her with a deadpanned expression on his face and he said, "That is a poor pun and you know it."

She shrugged, "I couldn't help myself. But…" she cleared her throat to be more serious, "…you can't just charge into Thicket and demand that they release Juniper. It will only make matters worse. Besides, Skyla and Blackthorn are already there. I'm sure they'll diffuse the situation and straighten things out somehow."

Neighsay told her in an unconvinced tone, "I trust the Crystal Princess, but it's Captain Blackthorn I have less faith in. He is a deer, and being in his home environment, he'll most certainly side with his own kind in the matter. Sooner or later, he will turn against us."

Capri steeled her convictions, "I've known Blackthorn longer than you have and I know he'll want peace between ponies and deer over siding with just one race."

Neighsay humphed, "Hmph! I sincerely hope so."

Suddenly, Autumn appeared with saddlebags on her back and singsonged, "Who's ready to go to El Dortroto?"

All was silent for a few moments until Virtue came up to her and whispered, "Uh, Autumn? I don't think now's the right time to ask."

* * *

Neighsay only begrudgingly agreed to stay in Ponyville and wait until more news from Thicket came. Capri was going to stay at the Castle of Friendship to keep him out of trouble, but she would send Capper, Autumn Blaze, and Virtue to the rock formation in the jungle, the landmark closest to El Dortroto.

Capri asked the travel party, "Are we all set, ladies and gentle-cat?"

Autumn chirped, "Ready as I'll ever be!"

Virtue asked, "Capper, where are your bags?"

Capper said smoothly, "Oh, I'm not coming."

The girls cried, "What?!"

Autumn told him, "But you promised you'd help bring peace to the Kirin and Rainbow-Eyes."

"Yeah. I never promised that. _But_ I did promise to help you find a third party to resolve the crisis, and look. We found it. Our problems are solved."

Virtue asked suspiciously, "Then why aren't you coming back to El Dortroto with us?"

"You see, I have a goal, too: go beyond El Dortroto, land me a sweet gig, and live a life of luxury."

Autumn asked in rising anger, "So you used me?!"

"Well, yeah. No, wait." After he thought about it for a few seconds, he responded, "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I did use you."

Autumn shouted in fury, "HOW COULD YOU?!"

At that moment, her eyes became white, her eyelashes burst into flame, red wisps danced frantically around her horn, and a small fire began to burn from the back of her mane. Everyone was startled to see Autumn like this.

Capper backed away from Autumn as he chuckled nervously, "Now, now! Let's not be hasty about this!" He then fell into an armchair and continued, "This isn't anything to get upset over, is it?"

Autumn threatened, "Oh, _that's_ not upset! _This_ is _upset_!"

Suddenly, a wall of fire shot up around her before it disappeared to reveal her in her Nirik form. Virtue and Capri huddled close to each other to avoid getting burned.

Capper yelped, "YAAH! Okay! Okay! I'll help you! I'll help you! I'll come back to the jungle with you! Just turn your burner off! Please!"

In an instant, Autumn reverted back to her Kirin form and smiled, "Okay!"

As she hummed and walked away from Capper, the other three exchanged disturbed looks that practically screamed _"What just happened here?"_

* * *

"I wish you had told me about this last night," Skyla said to Blackthorn in her guest room.

Blackthorn responded, "It wouldn't have concerned you. Well, it kind of does since you are a…"

Skyla finished as she raised an irritated eyebrow, "Pony?"

He stuttered, "Uh, don't take it the wrong way, Skyla! They know you two come from different kingdoms, but King Aspen wants to speak with you just to be sure there isn't a conspiracy going on."

Skyla sighed, "You're right. Juniper's mistake has left us on shaky ground. If I am to salvage the king's trust, I must prove that the ponies have no ill will towards him. What Juniper did was foolish, I grant you, but she certainly must've meant well."

Blackthorn suggested, "Unless Neighsay advised her to march right up to the gates of Thicket and order the guards to take her to the king."

"Well, in any case, it seriously backfired on her. I'm just glad you sent word to Capri when you did."

"Agreed. So while you speak with Aspen, I'll go interrogate Juniper about what happened that night. I'm sure she'll respond better to me than to the other guards."

"Good luck," Skyla said before she kissed his cheek.

"You, too," Blackthorn returned the kiss on her cheek.

It was almost torturous not to kiss each other on the lips, but their sense of duty helped them get by. In the past, Blackthorn had explained to Skyla that a relationship between a pony and a deer was strictly forbidden in Thicket. Therefore, the couple had to hide their engagement until all was at peace with Aspen and the deer.

As Skyla was escorted to the king's throne room, Blackthorn made his way to the dungeons to speak with Juniper. After he descended the last step of the underground spiral staircase, he saw that the dungeons hadn't changed even in the last 60 years or so. Save for a few lanterns, the prison cells were grim with their woody bars of root and their floors and walls of dirt. In fact, the halls of the dungeons were, too, made of hard soil. It was quite dreary down here, Blackthorn would confess. He then walked up to a particular cell holding a light-colored – if not dirty – mare and tapped on one of the root bars.

Juniper turned to see her visitor and lit up with joy. "Blackthorn!"

The captain said with a little humor, "Glad to see you've cooled down from your temper tantrum."

The princess replied indignantly, "It wasn't a temper tantrum. I was trying to get in to see the king. Didn't work out so well."

He explained firmly, "Because you were screaming at the top of your lungs and resisting arrest." Blackthorn continued more calmly, "Now, I must ask you a question. You need to answer it as thoroughly and specifically as you can. Why did you come to Thicket last night?"

She answered, "I sneaked off to the Everfree Forest because I wanted to join the peace talks. I got lost in the forest for a little while before I saw the really tall golden gates. I walked up to the guards and I told them, 'I am Princess Juniper Montage of Applewood, and I demand to see your king.'"

The deer facehoofed in disgust, "Ugh! 'Demand'?"

Juniper nodded in agitation, "Yes. I said 'demand'."

After he put his hoof down, he said, "You should've said 'request'. 'I _request_ an audience with the king.'"

"Request, demand. Is there really a difference?"

He slit his eyes as he said more sternly, "There _is_. 'Request' is like saying, 'I would like to see the king if it's all right with him.' 'Demand' is 'I want to see the king and I want to see him now!'"

Juniper defended, "But Neighsay told me to say 'demand'!"

"Oh? And have you seen how Neighsay behaves around non-ponies?"

"Well, he seems to like them."

He corrected her, "No. _You_ seem to like them. You haven't been paying attention."

"I have been paying attention!"

"To Neighsay!"

Juniper groaned in anger, "ARRRGGH! Why does everyone expect me to be as unfair and crotchety as he is?! I want to be me! I want to be Princess Juniper Montage, not Princess Neighsay! Why do I need to listen to everything he says?! It's just one boring lesson after another! I don't need lessons! I'm more than ready to become queen! Why can't anyone see that?!"

Blackthorn told her in a calm but disappointed tone, "You think you're very grown-up, but you have a great deal to learn."

As Blackthorn walked away from the cell, Juniper said, "So do you."

He stopped in his tracks. Even though he knew Juniper intended it as an empty retort, she was right. The ideas he had grown up embracing were now in conflict with the discoveries he had made during those years of exile. He was back home now, but he was no longer the same deer he had been when he left. He had saved countless lives and then terrorized them unwillingly under the command of Gladmane. When Skyla helped him and his comrades become free again, he was very grateful for the angel who entered his life.

And finally, living in the Crystal Empire for a few years gave him a new perspective on the ponies and their lives. He learned that though the ponies had flaws of their own, they still lived in harmony. This caused him to wonder if the deer had flaws just like the ponies did. Before he could dwell on these thoughts further, he set them aside and ascended the staircase.

He walked across the city and into the headquarters of the royal guard. When he entered his room, memories of his life in Thicket came rushing back. Nothing had changed since he and the guards were practically exiled, and yet, nothing felt the same anymore.

He began to sing, _"Long ago, we were outcasts…someplace where we stood alone…So new and so alien…We could not go back home…I thought they all would fear us…and how could I have known? I was wrong, oh so wrong…_

 _"_ _Then I thought I found it…A dream that I could share…I thought I was so lucky…it almost wasn't fair…I thought I knew my purpose…I thought that I knew where I belong…But I was wrong…_

 _"_ _Everything I ever thought I knew…Where I've been, where I'm going…Will all I grew up learning turn out to be untrue? Could've guessed…Should've known…Now I do…_

 _"_ _Everything I've yearned for, everything I planned…All my sweetest memories were castles made of sand…Now that it's all crumbling, help me understand…If none of it was really me, then who am I supposed to be?_

 _"_ _And everything I ever thought I knew…Every hope, every feeling…Love and trust and happiness…They're done, they're gone, they're through…And what's left, me alone, once again…Should've known…Now I do…_

 _"_ _I guess my life meant nothing…I guess it was a sham…I guess I'm someone else now…I wonder who I am…"_


	17. My Virtue for a Rose

When Flurry Heart woke up the next morning, she was devastated to find that her mother had not come through the entrance. Just after the Guardians had entered the Hidden Cave last night, they had made camp behind a rocky outcrop and waited for Cadance. When she did not come that night or the following morning, they could only assume that she had been either captured or corrupted. They had no choice but to continue with their mission of finding the rose. Though they were crestfallen, they sang a song to ease their heartache.

Blaze sang to Nova, _"Days in the sun…when our wedded bliss had begun…Not until my whole life is done…will I ever leave you…"_

Flurry sang forlornly, _"Will I canter again…to my mother's gorgeous refrain?"_

Mischief joined his wife as they sang, _"Will you now forever remain…out of reach of my arms?"_

Nova Rose sang, _"Oh, those days in the sun…What I'd give to relive just one…Undo what's done…and bring back the light…"_

Mischief sang, _"Oh, I could sing…of the pain that dark days bring…The spell they're under…Still it's the wonder of us…I'll sing of tonight…"_

Blaze sang, _"How in the midst of all this sorrow…can so much hope and love endure? I was innocent and certain…Now I'm wiser but unsure…"_

Flurry sang, _"Days in the past…"_

Nova then sang, _"I can't go back into my childhood…"_

 _"_ _All those precious days…"_

 _"_ _One that my parents made secure…"_

Flurry overlapped, _"Couldn't last…"_ She then sang solo, _"I can feel a change in me…"_

Nova overlapped, _"Oh, hold me closer!"_

 _"_ _I'm stronger now, but still not free…"_

All four of them finished together, _"Days in the sun…will return, we must believe…as lovers do…that days in the sun will come shining through…"_

"Oh, beautiful voices."

The Guardians yelped as they were startled by a new voice. They looked down to see a rather large – not to mention haggard – caterpillar that was as high as their chests. They also saw that they were in front of an arched entrance.

Blaze asked the caterpillar uneasily, "Who are you?"

The caterpillar answered in a raspy voice, "I am the Keeper of the Rose. For countless years, I have safeguarded the treasure with every fiber of my being. I take it you've come to take my rose."

Flurry answered, "We need it to cure our dear ones of a terrible curse. They have been corrupted by the Pony of Shadows. If our cause is just, please allow us to use the rose."

The Keeper thought about it, "Hmmm…There is only one way to prove you are worthy. You must give up your most essential asset in order to pass through. First, I need to know your names and occupations. I can sense that you four are no ordinary ponies. Especially you two." She pointed to Flurry and Mischief as she said that.

Nova curtsied, "I am Nova Rose, Guardian of Kindness."

Blaze introduced himself, "I am Blaze, Guardian of Generosity."

Mischief bowed and said, "I am Mischief, Guardian of Empathy."

Flurry said, "And I am Flurry Heart, Guardian of –"

The Keeper interrupted, "Yeah, yeah. I get the basic gist. Well, since you four are Guardians, I suppose this means you embody the traits you specified."

Nova Rose answered, "Well, yes."

"That's good enough of a price for me. One of you will have to give up your most important virtue if you are to obtain the rose."

The Guardians likened the situation to selling one's soul to the devil, but if giving up their virtues would help them accomplish their mission, then so be it.

Blaze stepped forth and said, "Then I volunteer."

"Excellent!" She then whipped up a crystal bead that soon grew into a ball. "Now, kneel and say the magic words: 'Please, take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose.'"

Blaze kneeled so his horn almost touched the crystal ball and he said, "Please, take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose."

Suddenly, a purple stream of magic was sucked out of his horn and into the crystal ball. The other Guardians watched in horror as Blaze turned gray from his hooves to his head.

When his virtue was completely stored in the ball, the caterpillar said cheerfully, "There. Now off you go!"

The Guardians were abruptly pulled into the entrance by an invisible force and landed roughly on the ground far from the entryway.

As they regained their senses, Nova Rose remarked, "First we get pulled into Tartarus, and now this. I'm starting to wonder if she's the one who got us trapped in the first place."

Mischief shook his head, "I really don't think that's the case."

Flurry asked in concern, "Are you okay, Blaze? Do you feel any different?"

When Blaze's eyes met Nova's, he gasped in delight as his heart started pounding.

He lunged at her as he exclaimed, "My Rose!"

He tackled her to the ground, tightly wrapped his arms around her, and began kissing her rapidly.

Nova cried, "Help! I'm being attacked by my husband who's not really himself!"

Flurry said as she and Mischief rushed towards the two, "Hang on! We got you!"

The princess used her magic to try to separate Nova from Blaze and Mischief tried to use his magic to pull Blaze from his wife.

He grunted, "No! Bad Blaze! Bad Blaze! Down!"

Blaze whined, "But me want Rosie!"

Soon, Mischief and Flurry were able to separate the two and the hybrid levitated Blaze to keep him out of trouble. That didn't stop the unicorn from whining and fussing, though. Flurry conjured up a gag and tied it onto Blaze's mouth, preventing him from uttering all but muffled protests.

Mischief commented, "Well, at least we know that when he's not generous, he's greedy."

Nova nodded as she stood up and brushed herself off, "Yeah, for me."

Flurry said, "I hope we're getting close to the rose so we can talk to the caterpillar and get Blaze back to normal again."

"I sure hope so. I don't want a lust-crazed husband for the rest of my life."

With Mischief levitating a greedy Blaze, the Guardians traveled further into the cave before coming up to another entrance like the first one.

The Keeper appeared before them again and said, "Well, hello again, brave travelers! How is Blaze taking to the side effects?"

The three sane ones answered, "Don't ask."

"Okay, I won't. _But_ you will need to pay the price again."

Nova asked, not really wanting to know the answer, "Another virtue?"

"Another virtue."

She sighed in exasperation, "Fine. I'll go, then." She kneeled down and said, "Please, take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose."

The caterpillar pulled out another crystal bead as she said, "As you wish!"

After the bead enlarged into another ball, a pink stream of magic left Nova's horn and turned her gray from back to front. As soon as the deed was done, the Keeper of the Rose sent the Guardians through the entrance. They were again pulled by an unseen force before they fell to the ground.

Mischief groaned, "I wonder what Nova's gonna be like without her kindness."

Blaze – free of Mischief's levitation but still with the gag on his mouth – gave a muffled shout as he ran towards his wife.

Nova pushed him away as she angrily said, "Keep away from me, you creep!"

Blaze didn't heed her warning, instead taking the word "creep" to mean "creep on the ground".

As Blaze did so, Mischief snickered to Flurry, "You know, this is kind of funny." When his wife scowled at him, he corrected his words nervously, "Er, I mean, it would be if Blaze and Nova were themselves and they were just playing." He gave a cheesy smile in an attempt to soften Flurry.

* * *

With Blaze and Nova in levitation tow, Mischief and Flurry soon came up to yet another entrance.

Mischief deadpanned, "Don't tell me."

The caterpillar appeared again and confirmed, "Yep! Time for either of you to fork over a virtue!"

Flurry asked, "Just what are you planning to do with our virtues?"

"I'm not going to say. It'll ruin the surprise. Now, which of you is going?"

Mischief knew that Flurry would want to sacrifice herself for his sake, but he wasn't going to have it. He faked a big sneeze and lifted his levitation spell on Blaze. As soon as Flurry detained Blaze in her own aura, she turned to find Mischief already kneeling before the Keeper.

He said quickly, "Please take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose."

The Keeper pulled out a crystal bead as she said, "Good enough."

Just like before, Mischief was drained of his empathy and he turned gray. Satisfied with her bounty, the Keeper sent the four on their way again.

After another rough landing, Flurry muttered to herself, "I'm beginning to think that the rose is more trouble than it's worth."

Blaze once again tried to make a move on Nova, who wasn't having any of his –

Flurry then heard raucous laughter next to her and she saw Mischief taking delight in Nova and Blaze's situation.

The hybrid said between chuckles, "You know, he's like a punching bag when you think about it."

Nova smiled nastily as she kept pushing Blaze away, "Yeah. Suddenly, I'm beginning to like this game."

Flurry said in irritation, "Well, I don't."

To the dismay of the three gray ponies, Flurry levitated them and brought them with her as she continued on their – now her – quest. A few minutes later, she came up to the last entrance. She looked to see if the caterpillar was in sight. When it looked like she wasn't, Flurry bolted towards the entrance so she wouldn't become a shadow of her former self, too. Unfortunately, the Keeper appeared just the same and Flurry skidded to a stop.

The Keeper wagged her stubby hand and said, "Nuh-uh-uh…Naughty, naughty. Pay the caterpillar first. Now, what was your virtue again?"

"Magic."

"Oh, magic! Give me your magic and then you'll get the rose."

Flurry sighed in defeat as she set the three gray Guardians on the ground. "I will do as you ask." She turned to see her loved ones squabbling amongst themselves. She then asked the Keeper, "But what about my friends?"

The caterpillar answered nonchalantly, "They paid the price for getting you this far. If you want to honor their sacrifice, you will complete your mission and retrieve the rose. But you can't have the rose unless you give up your magic."

Flurry thought about this for a few moments. She wanted to cure the corruption spell on her grandmother and great-aunt, but where would that leave her friends?

She finally told the Keeper, "Keep the rose. I will give you my magic, in exchange for my friends' virtues."

The Keeper asked in surprise, "What? But what about your mission?"

"I'm sure I can find another way to defeat the Pony of Shadows and save our loved ones without my magic, but I can't do it without my friends." She then kneeled before the caterpillar and said, "Please, take my virtue in exchange for –"

The Keeper interrupted her, "You know what? Never mind."

She pulled out the three crystal beads and breathed on them, releasing the virtues. Once the virtues reached their rightful ponies, the Guardians regained their common sense as well as their colors.

Flurry smiled as she trotted towards them, "Guys!"

They all hugged and laughed until Nova pointed to something bright, "Look!"

The Guardians turned to see a bright glow fading to reveal a radiant white butterfly hovering just above the molted skin of the caterpillar. She was too beautiful for words and she was now the size of a pony's head.

She spoke in a silky voice, "Congratulations. You passed the test."

Blaze asked in confusion, "Test?"

The Keeper nodded, "Yes. You three made a noble sacrifice in giving up your virtues for the sake of the mission. But a nobler sacrifice lies in giving up your mission for the sake of someone else." She then quipped, "Someone who deserves it, at least." She returned to the subject, "Your cause is just, and your hearts are true. You are now worthy of possessing the enchanted rose. Come with me."

The Guardians followed the Keeper through the entrance and into a chamber full of blue and white crystals. They then came up to a pair of colorful doors made of a thin material akin to chitin. The butterfly used her magic to open the doors, which in turn revealed a spectacular yet humble rose growing within a circle of small crystals that gave it an ethereal sort of glow. The ponies looked at the flower in sheer wonder before remembering their mission.

The Keeper told the group, "Before you pick the rose, I want you to look at the petals. How many are there?"

Nova counted the petals and answered, "24."

"Yes. The rose has 24 petals, each one representing an hour. After the rose is removed from its home, a petal will fall for every hour that passes. When a petal falls, it will diminish the rose's power to cure corruption bit by bit until the rose itself completely withers at the end of the 24 hours." Blaze raised his hoof to ask a question, but she said to him, "And no, freeze spells won't work. Time will march on for the rose regardless."

Blaze whispered to his friends in shock, "How did she do that?"

Mischief asked the Keeper, "Is there a chance the rose will wither faster if we use it more than once?"

"Perhaps. But I will tell you this: if the rose has not died but its power is almost gone by the time you use it, the magic can be restored by a tear of repentance."

Flurry stooped to pick the rose, but she wanted to be sure first. She turned to the others and the Keeper, who all nodded for her to take the rose. The alicorn then used her magic to delicately pluck the rose from its nest. As she did so, she noticed that the crystals surrounding it instantly went out like lights. To put the rose somewhere safe, Nova created a crystalline jar with her magic. After Flurry placed the rose inside, Nova closed the jar and put it in one of her saddlebags.

The Keeper said, "Now, you must be off. Use the rose wisely and only when it counts. I wish you well, worthy heroes."

Blue smoke then twirled up around the Guardians, sending them back to the entrance of the Hidden Cave. They steeled themselves as they prepared to leave the cave and lift the corruption the Pony of Shadows had wrought upon their family.

 ** _AN: The song in the chapter is "Days in the Sun" from_** **Beauty and the Beast (2017).**

 ** _For better visualization, the jar Nova conjures up is the one from the episode "Growing Up is Hard to Do"._**


	18. Divided

Discord groaned as he woke up and rubbed his eyes. He soon saw that he was in a dismal cave with the only light source being a solitary lantern.

A menacing voice taunted, "Well, look who's finally awake."

Discord gasped as he turned to see the person who spoke. In a makeshift prison cell dug into the wall was none other than Tirek, who had now grown out of the jar Discord had sent him to Tartarus in.

He groaned, "Oh, great! Now I really am in pony hell!"

Tirek said, "Join the club. You must've gotten into deep trouble for you to be here."

The draconequus crossed his arms and scoffed, "Like I would tell you anything."

"All right. Then I'll tell you only one thing."

"And what would that be?"

"Scorpan."

Suddenly, the entrance of the cave began to rumble as the stone blocking it was moving.

Tirek smirked, "Ah, speak of the devil."

After the entrance was open just enough for anyone to slip through, Discord saw a silhouette of a gargoyle enter and roll the boulder back into place. The shadowy figure then walked up to the two and Discord's heart leapt in surprise. Here was the creature who gave him comfort and respite when the draconequus first came to the Nether Lands all those thousand years ago. Discord was only a youngling who had just been separated from his sister and couldn't find his way home. When he stumbled upon Midnight Castle, he met the two brothers Tirek and Scorpan, who were the princes of the nearly-barren land. Whilst Scorpan was kind and loving, Tirek was power-hungry and distant from his family. Discord did appreciate the care the gargoyle provided him, but his mischievous nature led him to follow Tirek on his secret visits to Sendak's cave many times. The draconequus learned a lot of spells and potions from these visits until King Vorak was able to send him home to the Ancient Lands.

Looking at Scorpan now, Discord saw that the gargoyle had hardly changed. He still had the warmth in his eyes and he was as strong as ever. However, the draconequus noticed that there was now a sort of weariness hanging over Scorpan. This was evident in the worry line on his forehead, the ragged blue-green tunic, and the skunk stripes streaking his brown mane and beard. It concerned Discord, but it didn't stop him from embracing his long-lost…acquaintance.

He almost choked up with emotion, "Scorpan! I can't believe you've been alive all this time!" He pulled back and asked, "But, how is this possible?"

Scorpan smiled and waved his claw, "That's not important now…" His smile then faded, "But I think your new look is."

"New look?"

He looked down and was shocked to find a red sweater with a yellow undershirt on his body, gray pants on his legs, and square glasses on his face.

He exclaimed, "What the – I knew the Pony of Shadows was evil, but this is just mean!"

Discord removed his glasses from his nose, but to his surprise, a new pair appeared on his face. He yelped and tried to remove the second pair, but the same thing happened.

As Discord rapidly tossed every pair of glasses that grew on the bridge of his nose, Tirek chuckled to Scorpan, "I could watch this all day."

The draconequus stopped what he was doing and snarled at Tirek, "Oh, you wish! When I get my hands on that vile creature, I'll give him what for!"

The centaur said in an unconvinced tone, "Yes, I'm sure you could…" He then gave a wicked grin, "… _if_ you still had your magic."

Discord's eyes widened before he demanded, "Give it back to me, you aura-sucking parasite!"

Tirek frowned, "Oh, please. Use your tiny brain. If your magic was still there to be absorbed, I would be out of Tartarus and attacking Canterlot by now."

Scorpan suggested, "Do you suppose the Pony of Shadows took your magic from you?"

Discord explained, "Well, even if he did take my magic, I wouldn't look like this." He then realized in horror, "Unless…my chaos magic got corrupted instead of me."

"Maybe the corruption had a delayed effect on you. You definitely didn't look like this when I rescued you from falling into the lava pits."

He snapped, "Does it matter what I look like?!" He then slumped down onto the makeshift bed and moaned with his hands on his face, "Ohhh, I'm so helpless. I let the Pony of Shadows take advantage of my feelings and now I can't do anything."

Scorpan put his hand on Discord's shoulder and consoled him, "We'll help you get your powers back."

Tirek smiled deviously, "Oh, yes, we will." He licked his lips at the prospect of absorbing Discord's chaos magic.

Disturbed, Scorpan corrected, "On second thought, _I'll_ help you get your powers back."

Tirek huffed and crossed his arms.

"Now, why don't you tell us everything?"

Discord asked uncomfortably, "Does _he_ have to listen in, too?"

Tirek stated, "I could always _not_ listen in, but why would I want to?"

Scorpan told Discord, "I don't think there's much of a choice here."

The draconequus groaned, "Fine."

* * *

At the entrance of the Pit of Hate, Zappityhoof turned to look behind her and call out, "Hey, come on! You act like you've never been in here before!"

Decepticolt frowned indignantly, "Of course I have! It's just that the creepy skull-head thing gives me bad vibes."

Goldcap teased, "What are you, a scaredy-cat?"

He retorted, "No! We faced that princess and corrupted her, didn't we? And we got away with it, too."

A wicked voice asked dubiously behind them, "Oh, really? Then where is she?"

The Pseudocorn Trio turned to see the Royal Sisters enter with Daybreaker levitating a crystal statue.

Daybreaker said, "Yes. Show us the proof."

Goldcap told the sisters, "I have a memory spell for that."

Decepticolt added, "Yeah. And plus, didn't the boss say to corrupt her at all costs and only capture her if possible?"

Zappityhoof asked, "Say, whatchoo got there?"

Nightmare Moon grabbed the crystal statue from her sister with her magic as she responded, "None of your business."

Daybreaker muttered under her breath, "Eesh! Grabby, much?"

When they reached the chamber of the Pony of Shadows, the five of them climbed up a small outcrop and said, "Master, we have returned."

Shortly after they announced their arrival, the low-relief carving of a demonic face on the floor split into two to open up a deep pit. After the pit was completely exposed, an earthquake shook so violently it threatened to throw the accomplices into the ravine. Just then, a column of black goo erupted from the pit and stopped short of the ceiling. Within a second, the column consequently formed itself into a ball that grew with every foot of the column that shot up from the nigh-bottomless hole. When the entire column was absorbed into the sphere, the shape formed itself into the villainous figure known only as the Pony of Shadows. When the P.o.S descended to the ground, the stone entrance to the pit had closed again, allowing the creature to stand on it.

He asked his minions, "Have you returned with success?"

Daybreaker smiled evilly, "Oh, yes, we have."

Nightmare Moon brought forth the crystal statue of Cadance and explained, "The sentimental foal was trying to distract us from following the Guardians into the Hidden Cave."

The Pony of Shadows contemplated, "The Hidden Cave…No doubt they were trying to retrieve the rose said to cure corruption."

Zappityhoof asked, "Wow! Can it?"

"Yes. If the rose is used on me, all of my hard work would become undone." He then asked the sisters, "I take it you were unable to capture the Guardians?"

Nightmare Moon answered, "Yes."

"Then you must intercept them and destroy the rose. Use the Crystal Princess as bait for young Flurry Heart and her friends."

Daybreaker smiled, "All too gladly, Master."

The villain then turned to the Pseudocorn Trio and said, "As for the three of you, you've come back empty-hoofed."

Goldcap said with a smirk, "Empty-hoofed, but not unsuccessful."

She then conjured up a magical screen, which replayed the memory of her and her colleagues corrupting Sunset Shimmer.

The Pony of Shadows grinned in pleasure, "Well done, my faithful minions. But tell me: where is Shadow Lock?"

Decepticolt answered, "He probably failed and didn't have the courage to come back here."

Goldcap suggested, "Perhaps he got the corruption spell wrong."

Zappityhoof added and then singsonged the spell, "Ooh! Then he must've been like, _'Wither and decay. End this destiny. Break these goodly chains…and set the darkness free._ '"

The Pony of Shadows spoke up, "Wait. That's the right spell." He slit his eyes in suspicion and asked, "How did you perform the spell on Sunset Shimmer?"

The red unicorn nervously explained, "We…used-'earthly'-instead-of-'goodly'!"

The P.o.S. stamped his hoof as he cried in fury, "You foal! If the spell was imperfect, then she is not fully corrupted!"

Goldcap pushed her cohort and scolded, "I told you it was 'goodly'!"

When the Pseudocorn Trio started quarreling, their master morphed his face into that of a monster's to scare them.

To the frightened unicorns, he said, "Perhaps this might be a good time to teach you a lesson…" He then conjured up the crystal containing the corrupted chaos magic. "…and test my new secret weapon."

The Psuedocorns ducked their heads in fear as the Pony of Shadows fired the darkened magic at them. To everyone's surprise, the trio was wearing completely normal clothing.

The villain said in shock, "I don't understand. It was supposed to harm them!"

Nightmare Moon interjected, "If I may elaborate, the chaos magic has what you might call a fail-safe. When the magic is in the grasp of another, it will do no harm as long as the original wielder is alive."

"Then I will retrieve Discord and kill him." The shadow pony whooshed out of the chamber. After roughly a minute passed, the minions heard him exclaim in surprised anger, "Raagh! He's not there!" When he zipped back into the chamber, he said to the unicorn trio in an agitated tone, "Pseudocorns, I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourselves. Find Discord and destroy him. Use the chaos magic to track him down. Let no one interfere."

The trio nodded in unison, "Yes, master."

Daybreaker inquired, "But what of your great-grandnephew?"

The Pony of Shadows answered, "If he hasn't returned by day's end, that means the uncorrupted search party might have either disposed of him or convinced him to join them. If the former, leave him for dead. If the latter, eliminate him."

 ** _AN: Ugh! I am so embarrassed! I have not been posting new chapters as I promised a few months ago! I haven't had much energy as of late because I believe my sister is using the mojo to write her new (non-pony) fanfics. Despite that and the fact I'm in grad school now, I will do my best to post the remaining chapters._**

 ** _Again, I apologize for the long delays and graciously thank you for your patience. At least I can say this much:_** **Prisoners of the Heart** ** _has now broken the record for "Longest-to-Update: Installment Category". I am ashamed, truly.:(_**


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